


Serpents and Poodle Skirts

by PotatoesOfWorldlyDesire



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF
Genre: 1950s, AU, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Eventual Smut, F/M, Greaser, Protective Jughead Jones, Retro, Romance, Slow Burn, bughead - Freeform, protective!jughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2020-10-28 03:03:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20771459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoesOfWorldlyDesire/pseuds/PotatoesOfWorldlyDesire
Summary: 1950s Riverdale. Betty's good-girl-next-door reputation is threatened by bad boy Nick St Clair. Luckily, Serpent Prince Jughead is there to save her. But what happens when the two boys collide and fight for Betty's attention?





	1. Chapter 1

Betty knew it was a bad idea, but Nick St Clair was one of the hottest boys in school. The fact that he was a complete and utter dick became irrelevant the moment he asked her out. And she knew her mother would never approve... That was always a plus. 

Still, if she hadn’t been blinded by his good looks and superficial charm, Betty might have paused to think, ‘Hey, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.’ 

Instead, she found herself in the front seat of his expensive imported convertible, parked at some drive-in in the Southside she’d never even been to before. He’d convinced her to kiss him, she’d let him put a clammy hand over her bra, and he’d driven her right back home when she asked him to stop and take her home. Being the perfect girl next door was a reputation that followed her everywhere, no matter how much Betty hated it. 

‘Well, at least he won’t ask me to do that again.’ 

But he had. In fact, Nick waited hardly a week before asking her out again- to the cinema, this time. She’d been wanting to see ’Rebel Without a Cause’ for the longest time, but Nick wasn’t into the movie. He just wanted to do everything they’d done in his car, but in a cinema instead. Still, she accepted it. It wasn’t like he could go too far with her in the cinema, anyway. 

Though the public space didn't stop him from *trying*.

Maybe some part of her, a part that wasn't her friend, enjoyed the attention. Maybe that was why she accepted his winks in the hallways, the forbidden brushes when no-one else was looking, and the invitation for a third date. She knew what that entailed, even if she had no intention of going through with it. She wasn't a fast girl like Cheryl Blossom or Toni Topaz.

Still, accepting was probably the worst thing she could have done, knowing what boys like Nick expected from a third date. 

When she’d felt his hand move to unzip her poodle skirt, she’d instantly squirmed away and found the voice of reason she’d been burying for the entirety of the romance, if it could even be called that. When he'd persisted, she'd slapped him upside the face, turning his cheek red. Big mistake. 

That was how she found herself walking home alone that night, Nick speeding away grumbling slurs and ‘tease’ under his breath. 

Betty ignored him, huddling into her thin cardigan while silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She would have to fix the broken zipper on her skirt before her mother found it- she couldn’t have her life under more scrutiny than it already was. Not after what had happened to Polly. 

She’d have to figure out some good reason for it to have been broken in the first place- maybe she’d really, really had to pee. And that had somehow resulted in... She sobbed. ‘Oh, forget it.’ 

It was dark on the South side of Riverdale- she knew Nick had deliberately kicked her out on this side of town in the hopes that something horrible might happen to her. Maybe he’d known she wouldn’t let him have his way. ‘Bastard.’ 

If she made it home safely, Betty vowed never to do something so stupid to piss her mother off again. There were far safer ways, like not having dinner ready when Alice Cooper came home from work. Or mentioning Polly. 

The sound of footsteps and laughter from behind her sent a shiver down her spine, but when she glanced over her shoulder she could see nobody following her. ‘It’s just your imagination. Get a hold of yourself.’ She thought. Still, Betty quickened her pace. ‘I just want to get home and pretend this stupid night never happened.’ 

The sound of someone whistling, as if calling a dog, caught her attention. Betty’s heart was pounding away in her chest, and she had to hold her composure with everything she had in order to stop herself breaking into a run. ‘Stay calm. Then they might be nice while they murder you.’ 

She wished she’d brought a handbag with her. Or a baseball bat. Anything would have been better than trying to fend off a pack of South-Siders with her bare hands whist trying to hold up her flimsy skirt.

The glare of a white light and the sound of an engine brought her out of her panicked thoughts. 

She looked behind her and saw a single headlight making a beeline right for her. A motorbike. Not a car. Nick hadn’t changed his mind and decided to be a nice guy for once. 

She shuddered and began to run slightly, knowing that if whoever was on the motorbike wanted to hurt her, she’d have no chance. Her heart sped along with the motorbike as the rider slowed down and took off his helmet. Betty was surprised to see a familiar face. 

“Need a ride?” Jughead handed her his helmet with a crown crudely carved into the top. “They’re ready to unhinge their jaws back there, and I don’t want to see what happens next.” 

Betty shuddered and climbed onto the motorbike, winding her hands tightly about his waist. Her head brushed against his back, which was clad in a leather gang jacket- if she didn’t sit next to Jughead in chemistry, she might have been frightened. 

As it was, Jughead had never been anything less than courteous to her, if a little withdrawn. Despite them always going to the same schools, she knew very little about him. He hated the jocks, the girls, and just about everyone and everything in school apart from the classes. The only time she'd seen him without a scowl on his face was when he was taking meticulous notes in all their classes. The years seemed to melt off his face as he took in every iota of information the teachers would give. He didn't talk, or raise his hand in class, but Betty always got the feeling he was pleased to be there.

She noticed on the ride home how much his motorbike resembled Chuck Clayton’s, Nick’s right-hand man. Had Jughead stolen it? Maybe she was wrong to hop on his back without asking any questions. 

After all, what did she even know about Jughead? He lived life through a thin veil of sardonic humour, sarcasm, and leather jackets. He’d been caught with pot before, and he routinely got into fights with the football hooligans like Nick and Chuck. Though, after tonight, she wasn’t sure she blamed him. 

‘Thank you,’ was all she whispered as he sped her home. 

.. .. .. .. 

Jughead hadn’t expected to enjoy playing the saviour quite as much as he did. Betty’s cheek resting gently on his back, arms wrapped tightly around him. He was glad he’d been there- the Serpents following her weren’t the honourable kind. They were too old- too self-entitled to women’s bodies; especially if they looked like a North-sider... Which the girl clinging to his back with her pale pink skirt and pearl-lined cardigan was, unquestionably.

Still, the Elders weren’t the ones he was angry at. 

Nick St Clair. The moment Jughead had seen the awkwardly broken zip on Betty’s jeans, he’d known the whole story. God, it made his blood boil. He was almost impressed- Betty had to be the first girl smart enough to say NO to the bastard. St Clair must have known that... what kind of a game was he playing, going out with a girl-next-door type, anyway? 

He could feel her quivering against him- partly with cold, partly with fear. Once they crossed the bridge into the North side of town, he pulled to one side of the road. They weren't anywhere near her hours yet. Betty’s arms instantly stiffened around him, and he sighed. 'Calm, Cooper.'

“What- what are you doing?” Betty stammered, a blush creeping up her cheeks as he took off his Serpent jacket. 

“Here. This’ll keep you warm. It’s another fifteen minutes to your place, right?” 

Betty stared at the gang symbol on the back of the jacket. Jughead crossed his arms. “Look, if you want to stay cold-” 

“Thank you.” She shrugged the jacket on. He knew it was still warm from him, and that he’d likely be frozen by the time they reached her place, but Jughead was damned if he’d let the poor girl be cold AND terrified on the same night St Clair had humiliated her. Yes, that was it. He just wanted to be the gentleman, he told himself as they sped off once more. It had nothing to do with the fact that he'd always noticed Betty, and how she was the perfect trinity of smart, nice, and beautiful... Of course none of that mattered. He totally would have picked her up if she was dull and bitchy and ugly. Absolutely. He was a gentleman. 

He sped slightly faster, trying not to enjoy the feel of Betty’s arms hugging him tighter, unable to help himself from smirking at her surprised squeal. He caught a glimpse of her in the rear-view mirror- bright blue eyes wide, mouth agape, dishevelled ponytail billowing behind her. 

She wasn’t beautiful. She was *gorgeous*. 

He slowly pulled up to her house, conscious of being heard by her mother or neighbours. Jughead didn’t have to be told he wasn’t a welcome presence in this neighbourhood. Serpents hardly ever were. He only knew where she lived because her mother had come out to chase him and the other young Serpents away from her property, when all they'd been doing was walking by anyway.

He watched Betty dismount and awkwardly stand around, unsure of what to say. Her button-down shirt was open slightly- one too many loose threads that made him realise that perhaps St Clair had been more vicious than he’d first thought. 

It made Jughead’s blood boil, his lips twisting into a scowl. What kind of pathetic man had to push a good woman so far? Betty was a strong one- no doubt about that- but as she hugged herself, still shivering in spite of his jacket, she seemed small and afraid. 

He shook the scowl from his face as her gaze flitted up to meet his. Jughead wanted to say something, wanted to make her feel safe, or nice, or anything but how St Clair had made her feel. Nothing sprang to mind, however... Well nothing useful, as he heard himself speak: 

“Maybe next time he asks you out, you’ll have some common sense, huh?” 

Betty had opened her mouth- to thank him, probably- but she slammed it shut, lips forming a tight line as she stuck her chin out at the Serpent, who mentally slapped himself. 

“I was going to say ‘thank you’, but it sounds like your ego already took care of that.” 

He heard the anger in her voice and wanted to recoil, or speed away, but instead he just saw the hair breaking free from her ponytail, her eyes flashing with indignance. Betty’s cheeks began to flush a rosy red as she berated him in a hushed voice, still conscientious of who might be listening. Still the perfect girl-next-door. 

He hadn’t thought the night would end this way. There were certainly no ulterior motives in his mind when he’d decided to play the hero. Yet, Jughead found his hands reaching for her cheeks, pulling her close and covering her mouth with his own. 

.. .. .. .. 

Betty gasped as his arms pulled her close, her hands awkwardly up in the air. She moved to push him away, but her fingers wound up in his tousled black hair, her eyes closing and mouth opening obediently for his when his tongue slid across her bottom lip, asking for permission in a way that Nick never had... and in a way her mother would decidedly not approve of. 

God, he was a good kisser. Kissing Nick had been fun enough, a bit... violent. Was all force and teeth. Jughead was equally ravenous, but something about the way his hands held her face, almost reverently, turned Betty’s mind into a gooey mess. 

Her tongue met his, shy at first, until she seemed to find the hang of it. Her body pressed close to his and his hands moved slowly, carefully down her body to rest on her hips. ‘Isn't he going to go lower?’ Betty wondered, not because she wanted him to, but because Nick had always wasted no time. She found herself frowning slightly- though nothing could make her fully frown as he held her tight and actually *moaned*. 

She jerked away from him then, sound seeming to break whatever spell had held her in place. Betty’s face burned as she looked at her house- the lights all dark. Her mother would kill her if she knew even a fraction of what Betty's night had entailed. 

The sound of Jughead chuckling gently brought her out of her reverie. 

“What? Jughead?” 

The Serpent was already putting his helmet back on, smirking at Betty. 

“Goodnight, Cooper. Stay safe” 

Then he winked at her, and vanished into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

The kiss had been haunting Betty since Friday. Jughead Jones- the Serpent knight in shining armour. He... *liked* her. ‘Well,’ She thought, ‘At least, he liked his tongue in my mouth. That’s probably it. He was probably just bored. Nothing else to do on a Friday night. No need to over-react.' 

She was so taken up by the thoughts of Jughead and The Kiss she hardly noticed when Nick St Clair blocked her way into school that morning. Betty was always early, but Nick never was- unless he wanted something. He towered over her with a sly grin, brow arched as he looked her up and down. For the first time, Betty noticed how predatory his gaze felt, remembering the bruising grip of his hands on places she had never granted him permission to touch.

“Er, hi?” Betty scanned the hallway, heart beginning to beat faster when she realised they were completely alone. 

“Hey, Coops. I heard you ran into some trouble after I left you.” A smirk played on his lips as he leaned a shoulder against Betty’s locker, effectively preventing her from opening it and ending their conversation. His eyes seemed to burn coldness into hers, not matching the playfulness of his smirk; instead searching her face. “Anything fun happen?” 

Betty found herself taking a step back, glancing over her shoulder. Still nobody around. Maybe a lazy librarian would hear her if she screamed, but would they think to rush to her rescue, or would they think her just another roughhousing teenager, high on her first coffee of the day? 

“Uh, I’m fine.” She stuck her chin in the air and tried to regard him with cold indifference. “No thanks to you, Nick.” 

His smirk faltered slightly at her sudden change of mood, pupils dilating almost imperceptibly. He liked a girl standing up to him about as much as he liked the word ‘No’. Betty did her best to stand tall, keeping her shoulders squared at the memory of what he’d done to her on Friday. Dick. 

He took a step towards her, an unspoken threat looming in his eyes. Betty tried and failed not to stutter, 

“I-If you’re here to ask me out again, the answer’s no.” Her gaze flickered downward, but she managed to spit out, “Sorry.” 

An unexpected grin lit up Nick’s face as he laughed, before shaking his head and walking away, leaving Betty just as mystified as ever. Were all boys so confusing, or just the ones in Riverdale? Betty shook her head as she told herself that he wasn’t her problem anymore. He’d soon find some other girl to fill his back-seat with. It would never be Betty Cooper again. 

She smiled to herself as she opened her locker. She wanted to tell herself she’d had her fill of bad boys, but that clearly wasn’t the truth. Jughead’s lips on hers flitted through her mind once again, making her shiver, driving away any concerns about Nick St Clair. 

She felt a sudden presence behind her and turned, worries flooding back instantly until she saw who it was. 

Jughead Jones, leaning against his locker across the hall, as if he’d been summoned by her thoughts. Maybe she’d liked Nick because he was a bad boy, or because he’d been an easy way of rebellion against her mother, but so was Jughead.... Though with Jughead, she felt something stronger. She wanted to feel the sparks fly between their lips once more, but that was probably stupid. 'He only saved you to be nice, Betty. Stop getting your hopes up.' 

Unlike Nick, Jughead didn’t feel the need to throw his masculinity around whenever opportunity struck. He didn’t wear offensive amounts of sporty deodorant, or scream his oddness to the world- well, apart from his beanie. His crown that Betty wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him without, come to think of it. In his current get-up, he wore a simple black t-shirt and worn-out jeans. Something was missing. 

‘Oh.’ Betty mentally smacked herself. She’d stolen his Serpent jacket. And left it at home. Shit. 

“You sure told him.” Jughead interrupted her thoughts.

Betty looked up at Jughead, his voice oddly neutral, though something different sparkled behind his eyes- amusement? Pride? 

She grinned. “Nothing someone else shouldn’t have told him a long time ago.” 

Jughead frowned, and Betty felt her pride shrivel up a little bit. Why wouldn’t he approve of her standing up for herself? 

“That was stupid. Brave,” He added, carefully observing her faltering smile, “but stupid. With a guy like Nick, you should just keep it insipid. Say you’re not good enough for him- then he’d move on with his life. As it is, you’ve just become an enigma, Cooper. You’ve caught his interest, and once something catches St Clair’s interest, he won’t let go until he gets bored- or destroys it.” 

Betty shivered. “So, you’re saying I just gave him a reason to come after me again?” 

Jughead’s lips curved upward slightly, and he reached out and lightly touched her cheek. Betty’s back was to her half-open locker, the door shielding them from the view of the rest of the hallway. It was an odd kind of privacy that clung to his touch. 

When he ducked his head down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, she allowed it, but only for a moment before she pushed him away, cheeks turning pink quite against her will. 

“I know you don’t care if anyone sees, Jughead, but I can’t-” 

“You’re Mrs Perfect. Got it.” Jughead smiled softly. “We’d better keep it outside of school then, Cooper.” 

Betty was silent, staring at where his hand clasped hers just a moment before. She missed the warmth, but a cold thought played on her mind. 

“Do... do you really think Nick will do something? To me?” 

She knew the answer, but seeing it written in Jughead’s sweet blue eyes was something different entirely. They swirled with an emotion she couldn’t quite place, but it was all the answer Betty needed. She hung her head. “Of course he will.” 

“He can try,” Jughead said. “But I promise, Betty, I won’t let him hurt you.” In spite of her previous protest, he pressed another quick kiss to her lips. “See you in chemistry,” He murmured, before turning and heading down the corridor and out of sight. 

“Oh, Betty, what have you been doing this weekend?” 

The teasing voice behind Betty held no malice; it was her best friend, Veronica Lodge, who had apparently witnessed the last kiss. Betty’s blush, which had just started to fade, returned in full force. She couldn’t meet the Latina’s eyes. 

“It’s nothing, V.” 

“Nothing? It looked like you were swooning over a Serpent!” Veronica poked Betty, hard. “Spill it, girl. You know Veronica Lodge always gets what she wants.” 

Veronica’s wink weakened Betty’s resolve. She sighed. 

“We may have had a moment.” 

“Ooh?” 

“He- he gave me a ride home on Friday.” 

“Friday? But weren’t you out with-” Veronica’s face clouded over and she frowned. Nick's reputation preceded him. “Oh.” 

Betty tried to ignore the implications of what she was saying as she spoke, “Nick... wanted more than I was willing to give, so he kicked me out of his car. Some Serpents decided to give me a hard time, and Jughead... kind of saved me? I guess?” 

Veronica leaned against her locker, fanning herself. “Swoon! Betty, you’re so lucky. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a bad boy’s girl, but I can’t say I’m all that surprised, either. And don’t worry-” She pressed a finger to her nose and winked, “-Your secrets are safe with me... just make sure you use protection. I don’t want any Bughead babies just yet, thank you very much!” 

“Bughead?” Betty burst out laughing. “What?” 

“I think it could catch on.” Veronica grinned, picking up her books for first period. 

“Not in a million years,” Laughed Betty, rushing to chemistry as the bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Hope you guys enjoyed! Your comments are what keep me going, so please tell me what you think!
> 
> Tune in next chapter for some fluffy fluff and more Jughead being a bad boy with a sweet spot for a certain girl next door ;)


	3. Chapter 3

For the rest of the week, Betty saw very little of Nick... but more and more of Jughead. He walked with her to most classes, listening to her pleasant chattering, sometimes holding her hand if they felt particularly rebellious. Several of her friends had taken to lingering near her locker at the end of the day and between classes to ‘catch up’, but really to gawk at Betty’s new boyfriend. 

Not that they were official, or anything. 

They were just two people, who’d gone through... what they’d gone through. 

Still, the North-side princess and the Serpent prince caused a subtle stir as they walked through the halls, trying to ignore the side-glances.

They’d kissed again. Twice. He’d walked her home once, joined her in the library at lunch a few times when she was studying for their upcoming exams, and sometimes he simply showed up whereever she happened to be- not that she minded in the slightest. It wasn’t like he was stalking her or anything- she told him her every move via a new habit of passing notes in class, relishing in having him wait for her before going to his next class. Still, something wasn't quite right. Beneath all the romance and intrigue lay something insidious.

On Thursday, she finally asked him the burning question: 

“Why are you being so attentive?” 

They were walking down the street that lead to her house. The look he gave her made everything clear, but she needed to hear it in words. Betty stared him down until he refused to meet her eyes. His hand squeezed hers.

Betty huffed and stopped, refusing to move another step until he answered her. Jughead sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“You know why, Cooper.” He spoke slowly, choosing his words with extreme care. “Obviously, Nick isn’t going to just let things go. Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you, whenever you pass each other? Or when you have class together? He’s planning something. I don’t know what, but it can't be good.” 

“So, what? You’re... protecting me?” Betty blinked. “Is that all this is to you?"

Jughead glared at her, taking her other hand and pulling her close to him, his breath fanning heat over her face. "You know that's not true, Betty."

A blush rose to her face as she stammered, "If he was going to try something, he’d have done it by now. Or gotten Chuck to do it.” 

She hadn’t noticed Nick looking at her at all- hadn't really seen him that much, as a matter of fact. She’d assumed he considered his absence in her life a punishment for defying him. 

“I can’t say what he’s got planned,” Jughead replied, eyes flashing with a sudden anger- though not directed at Betty, she still found herself taking a step back. “He’s just waiting for the right time. Trust me, Cooper, I know his type.” 

Betty shivered, even though the breeze was warm. She almost wished she hadn’t said anything, but she didn’t believe in the old adage of ignorance being bliss. Ignorance was a danger. Ignorance had taken her sister from her. 

“Right. So you’re just protecting me. Okay.” She tried to keep the dejection from her voice, but failed miserably. Was Jughead really interested in her as a girl? Sure, he seemed intense, but maybe... Maybe he was just keeping an eye on her, trying to piss off Nick St Clair, playing a game with a dumb jock. The two boys hadn’t had a good brawl in about a month- she was probably just their latest excuse. That was it. 

When she looked up, his eyes darkened. How did he always know what she was thinking? Betty looked down at their entwined fingers. Then back up to his face. Without warning, his lips once more covered hers. 

“There’s no ‘just’ about it, Cooper.” 

Betty kissed him again then, feeling Jughead pull her into the entrance of a narrow alley between the suburban hedges- not deep enough to hide them completely, but enough for her to not feel completely out in the open, as though her mother could drive by at any point. 

She pulled away much too soon, even by her own standards. Jughead looked hurt and moved to kiss her again. Betty giggled, putting up a hand so his lips found her palm instead, but the giggle turned to an odd hiss of pleasure and surprise as he pressed his lips against her skin. She felt his tongue dart out as if to taste her; before she could pull her hand away his own shot up to grasp her wrist, holding it in place. 

“Juggie,” She breathed, feeling her face flush once more, warmth spreading through her body at the blatant sexuality of his movements. 

Betty struggled for something to say when he released her wrist, pouting at him. “Jughead Jones! That was-” 

She was cut off by his unexpected chuckling, and she noticed that she hadn’t moved the hand he’d kissed, seemingly stuck in place like a besotted mannequin. She huffed and put both hands on her hips instead. 

“You know I’m not that kind of girl!” 

“Of course, Betty.” It was the second time he’d called her by her first name. It did things to her. Betty realised that she hadn’t heard Jughead call anyone else by their first name- an odd quirk of his. 

“But I’m not that kind of boy, which you knew when you stole my jacket,” He teased, though the grin faded from his face as he met her eyes with a new intensity and continued, “But I’m not like Nick St Clair, or Chuck Clayton. I won’t take anything from you you’re not willing to give me, and I won’t push you... much.” He winked and stole a last chaste kiss before taking her hand and walking them back to the sidewalk. “Come on, you don’t want to be late. Your mom might think you’re making out with Serpents in hedges, or something crazy.” 

“So you *are* a Serpent,” Betty breathed, surprised when he chuckled in reply, 

“Only by blood, Cooper.” 

She let him walk her to the end of the block, until she could see her lawn but not her windows. Jughead managed to steal one last amazing kiss from her before their hands unclasped and she continued on her own. When she turned back to give him one last look, however, he was already gone.   
His jacket now lived in her closet- hidden underneath several jackets that her mother would never touch. Betty meant to give it back someday, really she did, but every morning her mother rushed her out of the house, or she had homework or housework to do... And besides, Jughead seemed content to tease her for stealing it anyway. Up in her room, she firmly closed the door before moving to the closet and reverently taking out the jacket, holding it to her nose. The leather smelled old, strong, with a slight tinge of gasoline, as if Jughead wore it to where he worked at a mechanics on the Southside. 

Her wrist tingled when she thought back to the kisses he'd given her, any insecurities she might have had were blown away under the touch of his lips. How could someone so tough feel so soft when he pressed against her like that?

For the next few weeks, their romance continued- Jughead teasing her whenever he figured he could get away with it, Betty half-heartedly batting away his advances... He even convinced her to go on a couple of dates on the few nights her mother was working late at the Riverdale Register. At least, he called them dates. They weren’t like any dates Betty had ever been on before. 

The first time, he’d brought her to an abandoned church in the middle of the woods- a small concrete building full of rotten books and upturned furniture, as though the last sermon had been interrupted by the four horsemen. 

“I used to come here when I was a kid,” Jughead said, noticing the awkward silence between them. “Used to help me think. Well, that and the other Serpents have no idea this place exists. They’re scared of the woods.” 

Betty snorted. “Why? They afraid an owl’s gonna get them?” 

“Something like that.” He’d taken her hand and led her upstairs, where there was an odd sort of balcony that overlooked the ancient carnage below. Jughead opened a metal box and sat on the hard concrete, and Betty sat next to him. 

He brought out several books that looked like expensive classics- hardbacks, some of them even signed! She gaped at a first-print Steinbeck. 

“How did you get your hands on this stuff?” 

“I used to work at the Bijou- the drive-in cinema? Used to save all my money and call in a few favours with the gang. I figure, if I can read enough of this, and learn enough from the original prints, maybe one day I’ll be good enough to get out of Riverdale.” 

Betty blinked, noticing some spare paper at the bottom of the box, covered in scrawls of blue ink. “You want to be a writer?” 

Jughead nodded, and Betty confided in him that all she wanted to do was leave Riverdale, maybe get a job in a publishing house, and read fresh work all day. 

He grinned and kissed her softly, holding her face like she was made of silk. They spent the rest of the day reading to each other- he liked the poets best, wanted to join the Beats in New York and San Francisco... but Betty was all about the prose. Doris Lessing, Tolkien, Steinbeck... all the greatest writers of their generation gathered in one dusty box inside a church. That was the first time Betty had truly noticed Jughead's gentler side. The side he was scared to show anybody.

The second date was even better, the best gift anyone could have given her. 

He took her to see Polly. 

Betty had only mentioned her sister in passing- how she’d gotten pregnant, been sent away to a nunnery-turned-sanitarium, and been forced to send her babies away. She had no idea how Jughead found the place, or how he booked an apparently off-the-books visit to see her, but Betty was so glad he did. 

She’d had no idea where they were going (surprising her was something Jughead seemed to take endless pleasure in). He’d sated Betty by informing her that yes, he had stolen the motorbike from Chuck Clayton. He refused to return it when Betty asked him to, and apparently Chuck couldn’t prove who had taken it- though the boys had nearly come to blows over it several times since it had ’gone missing’. 

“One of these days he’s going to catch you with it, Jug, and one of you is gonna wind up in the hospital.” 

“Yes, but it won’t be me.” Snorted Jughead, cementing one of the biggest truths about the boy: he was impossible to argue with. 

Betty still worried over her totally-not-boyfriend and the two biggest, baddest boys in school. Yet, time continued to pass, nothing continued to happen, and Betty let herself think that maybe, just maybe, Nick had decided she wasn’t worth bothering with. Why else would he have waited so long? 

All thoughts of that drama vanished as the Sisters of Quiet Mercy came into view. Betty couldn’t help but tighten her grip around Jughead’s waist. He couldn’t stop a self-satisfied smirk from sneaking onto his face as they pulled up and he parked the bike in the bushes. 

“You ready?” He took her hand at her nod, and led them inside. 

Later, Betty would come to realise that this was the moment that she fell deeply, irrevocably in love with Jughead Jones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AaaaaAAAAAAHH! Aren't they just the cutest things you ever read about? ^_^
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments!


	4. Chapter 4

A week later, Betty was walking home from school- hurrying because her mother had surely gotten home already, and would surely throw a fit as she always did if Betty was more than a few minutes late. It wasn’t Betty’s fault she’d decided to stay and help Veronica study... and maybe have a good gossip, while she was at it. She was a teenage girl, after all! 

Still, it was better to appease the beast within Mrs Cooper, rather than poke it with a stick. Betty quickened her pace once more. 

As she walked, she let her mind wander to the nights when she managed to get away. Wait until she heard her mother go to bed, and sneak out of her window to meet Jughead. Betty hated sneaking around, but what else could she do? Her mother didn’t want another daughter like Polly. She barely wanted another daughter. 

Her nights with Jughead were the most respite she’d ever had in her life. He expected nothing from her- some nights they just talked, compared lives and tastes in music; other nights they just lay in silence. Silence, and... other things.

There was a certain game between them, now- him seeing how far he could push her, and her sometimes giving in, and sometimes pushing right back. A dangerous game, perhaps, but one she had no intention of losing. One that she somehow understood he’d never push too far, especially once she realised that not once in all his teasing had he brought up their visit to Polly, or tried to use it as a bargaining chip. He knew what was fair game without her having to say a word.

Lost in her thoughts, she stepped off the curb as her feet took her past the entrance to an alley- an alley she’d passed a thousand times before, every single day, one that was no different to any other- until today. She didn’t have time to react before a blur of hands grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her, covering her mouth to stifle her scream. She felt him crudely squirming against her, and fought the bile that rose in her throat. She was immediately dragged deeper into the dark and narrow passageway. 

The alley took a sharp turn, winding up at a dead-end behind some discontinued chain restaurant. It wasn’t until they were fully out of view of the main road that Betty realised- she recognised the smell of who had grabbed her. Sporty, overly-masculine deodorant. Compensating for something. 

The hands released her and she spun around, ready to give Chuck Clayton hell. 

“What do you think you’re doing? Dumbass! Trying to give me a scare? I swear to god-” 

She stopped, blood freezing in her veins as Nick St Clair swaggered into view, one hand casually tucked in his pocket and the other twirling a switchblade as though it were a part of him. On his face was a cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Betty. Nice to see you again. Been a long time since we’ve been out together, hasn’t it? Chuck and I were just saying, we could use a bit of fun...” 

“Oh? Is this a private party, or can anyone join?” 

Betty had never been so relieved to see anyone in her life as she was at that moment- even when Jughead had come to her rescue the first time. 

Jughead was leaning against the brick wall, seeming so casual, but radiating nothing but menace towards the other boys in the alley. His heated gaze locked on her and he nodded slightly, giving her the confidence to stamp on Chuck’s foot, shoving him into Nick and dashing out of the alley before she fully knew what she was doing. 

As she passed Jughead she heard him say, “Keep running, Betty. Don’t stop until you get home.” 

She didn’t do anything but nod as she sped past him and back onto the main street, heart pounding. The fresh air helped ease the panic of her mind, the fight-or-flight reaction playing in her feet as she stopped at the entrance to the alleyway. What had she just done? Nick had a *switchblade*, for god’s sake! 

The realisation of what had almost happened made her feel sick, made her want to speed home and grab a baseball bat and lock herself in a cupboard where no man like Chuck or Nick could ever touch her again. She listened at the mouth of the alley for the sounds of an altercation, but only heard taunting and indiscernible voices- the boys playing with each other again, the stakes raised. 

She wanted to pick up a brick or something- rush back to help Jughead- but what if she distracted him at the wrong moment? 

Nobody was on the road. Nobody to help break the boys up if things got ugly. Betty knew how the cops would react if she called them- it wouldn’t matter if it was two jocks and just one Serpent. The Serpent would always take the fall. Every single time. 

The deep thuds of punches and pained grunts came to her ears, spurring her to action- she picked up a broken brick and dashed back into the alley. Adrenaline fuelled her anger alongside the fear that maybe they’d already gotten the drop on Jughead, and she’d be too late. 

No. 

Chuck and Jughead were locked in a fistfight, Jughead dividing his attention between beating the shit out of Chuck, avoiding Chuck’s punches, and avoiding Nick’s sudden jabs with the switchblade. 

Betty hated them. Not Jughead. All except for Jughead. Stupid macho idiots. She raised the brick... zeroed in... and hey, presto! 

The brick smashed against Nick’s hand as he made another stab at Jughead, causing the boy to howl in pain and drop the knife, which Jughead kicked out of reach before quickly socking Chuck in the jaw, forcing the boy to stagger backwards. Jughead took the opportunity to pick up the blade and click it open.

Chuck tumbled into Nick, who tumbled to the ground. Both boys became a tangle of limbs. Jughead stood over them, Nick’s switchblade in one hand. He motioned for Betty to stay back. She didn't protest.

Nick shoved Chuck off of him, staggering to his feet and spitting blood from his mouth to the ground. Chuck lay on the ground, eyelids fluttering, while Nick squared up to Jughead, undeterred by the blade in the skinnier boy’s hand. 

“Only a needle-dicked South-sider would need a girl to fight for him,” He spat, seething with rage. 

“Only a coward would need the help of his lackey to try and force himself on a girl,” Jughead sneered. 

The boys glared at each other for what seemed an eternity before Nick broke into laughter, making Betty jump. 

Nick rolled his eyes at Jughead, as though the Serpent and he were old friends enjoying a joke at the other’s expense. 

“Go on, then. Fuck off. And take Betty Cooper with you- there won’t be any more parties with her in dark alleyways.” 

Betty’s blood boiled, but she didn’t dignify him with an answer. Still, Nick noticed her hands balling into fists hard enough to draw blood, and he smirked. 

“Oh, it was just a bit of fun, Betts.” He sneered, knowing that was what Jughead usually called her- when they were around others, that was. “Sure, it got a little out of hand...” 

“-Just like your knife.” Betty retorted, folding her arms. Nick scowled. 

“Just go home and give your boyfriend a hero’s welcome. I think he’s earned a bit of fun, don't you?” Nick winked at her, and she had to fight her entire body to not hurl herself at his throat. 

Instead, Betty steeled her senses and reached for Jughead’s wrist, pressing the switch on the blade for him and tucking it safely inside her own pocket. 

“Come on, Jug. Let’s leave them to it. He said it’s over, and I believe him.” She didn’t, but that was beside the point. 

Jughead finally shifted, twisting his arm to allow her hand to slip into his, fitting as though it had always meant to end up there. Betty tugged once more, fingers curling around his, and Jughead gave a tight nod in Nick’s direction. 

He released Betty’s hand only to sling a protective arm around her shoulders, deliberately turning his back on the other boys and walking away. 

.. .. .. .. 

Betty couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t hide it from Jughead, either, since he kept his arm around her shoulders the entire walk home. He made none of the usual teasing comments, and he didn’t immediately release her when they wound up on her front lawn. No car in the driveway. Good.

Neither of them said a word, though Betty had fought back a sob or two as they’d walked away from the alley and the adrenaline wore off. She didn’t want to break down in front of Jughead. She had new crescent-shaped marks on her palms, but she didn’t want him to think she was weak. 

“Thank you.” She said, voice quiet, muffled by residual fear as she struggled to make eye contact. 

His arm tightened around her a bit before he reluctantly let her go. His gaze searched her face, hand gently caressing her cheek. Betty was glad her mother wasn’t home. It was bad enough Jughead knowing she was struggling not to cry. 

He brushed a few strands of hair from her face, and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead, then her lips. Betty wrapped her arms around his waist and felt his encircle her in turn. They took a deep breath. 

Jughead murmured against her, “Do you want me to walk you upstairs?”

Betty smiled but shook her head, pulling away. He frowned. “Are you sure? You seem a bit... shaken up.” 

“I’m fine, Jug. Besides, my mom will be home soon. Her work can only run so late, and... I don’t want to deal with her. Not today, anyway.” 

“Screw her.” Jughead’s harsh words surprised Betty, as he scowled. “If she puts that much pressure on you to be Miss Perfect, you’re better off letting her be pissed.” 

His expression softened as he tilted her chin up so she would meet his eyes. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. Really okay, not just pretending.” 

She nodded, surprised he knew her well enough to see right through her. “I’ll be okay. Thanks to you.” She smiled and gave him a peck. “Thank you, Juggie... I’m sure they wouldn’t have done anything though, right? They were just trying to give me a good scare?” 

Jughead let go of their embrace, anger bubbling below his expression. “You’re a fool if you believe that, Betty. St Clair may have lost a battle today, but the war isn’t over yet.” 

Betty bit her lip. “We should just try to keep out of his way, then. Both of us.” 

“I’ll be around to walk you to school in the morning.” 

At her nod, tension fell from his shoulders. He’d probably been expecting her to put up more of a fight. His expression softened and he brushed another subtle kiss across her lips, watching as she entered her house and not leaving until he heard her lock the door behind her. 

.. .. .. .. 

Jughead had a lot of time to think, on the walk back to the South Side. 

How had he come to care so much for a 'North-side princess'? Sweet Pea would kill him if he knew. He didn’t even want to think about what his father, F.P. Jones, might do. Jughead was certain he’d violated at least three Serpent laws in the past hour, just by giving St Clair a fraction of what he deserved. 

Serpents were meant to stick with Serpents- why couldn’t he give a shit about Toni Topaz, or any of *those* girls? Sure, the answer was simple enough- he didn’t want to be one of the Serpents... but he couldn’t change that, could he? Not when his father was their king. Not when he’d had their tattoo branded onto his skin since he was twelve years old. 

With all his own problems taken into account, why had he decided to toss them all by the wayside for Betty Cooper? 

He hadn’t even touched the skin under her shirt- most of the Serpent girls led with that, back when he’d tried to fool around with them. He'd hated those sticky fumblings at the drive-in. It all seemed too tedious, too cliche. Maybe it was because he’d never loved any of *them*. 

He stopped in his tracks as the implication of that thought caught up to him. 

He loved Betty Cooper. A North-Sider Princess, Miss Not-So-Perfect. 

Betty Cooper. 

He’d fallen in love with Betty Cooper. 

And he had no clue what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Hope you loved this chapter as much as I loved adapting and editing it! 
> 
> If you have any suggestions or opinions please let me know in the comments!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Betty’s mother arrived home about ten minutes later, pint of milk in hand. She all-but swung it at her daughter’s head as soon as she walked through the door, demanding to know where Betty had been and why her mascara was so smudged. 

Alice Cooper never wanted anything but the perfect family. After a messy divorce and essentially disowning Polly, Alice was far from the best mom. But that made it easy to take things out on Betty. 

“Elizabeth! Just where have you been? You look like a tramp.” Betty didn’t respond. “I swear, if I find out you’ve been off with some no-good pauper, you’ll never leave this house again!” 

Betty sighed and tried to defend herself- there was no boy in her life, her grades were doing fine, she’d do the laundry right now and mow the lawn afterwards- everything to maintain her mother’s superficial facade. Perfect house, perfect family, perfect everything- the way things were only a year ago. 

All Alice Cooper could do was huff and pour herself the day’s first glass of wine. It was 4PM. By 4:30 the bottle was gone, and the downstairs of the house was borderline uninhabitable for Betty, who hurried about with her chores, making sure to avoid whichever room her mother languished in, muttering to herself. Her voice soon slurred into a snore that echoed through the house like the final scream of an unfortunate mountaineer. 

The moment the lawn had been mowed and the front porch swept, Betty dashed up the stairs and into her room, wishing she was allowed a lock on her bedroom door. 

She took off all her clothes and threw them at her hamper, before stepping into the shower. It was the only place she knew her mother wouldn’t hear her sobbing as she finally broke down. The water beat down on her head in a calming rhythm until her breathing evened out and she stopped shaking. 

Why could her mother never cut her a break? Especially now, with their family as fractured as it was. Betty knew from her visit that mom only saw Polly once a month- even then, only since the babies were born. She couldn’t stand to look at what her perfect daughter had become. Polly had promised not to tell their mother of her visit, and Betty made a promise to visit whenever she could. 

Those promises faded to a dull buzz in her head as she thought about what happened with Nick and Chuck. What would have happened if Jughead hadn’t been there? She remembered the way Chuck had ground into her from behind, the cold glint in Nick’s eyes.... Betty shuddered, despite the warm shower. 

Memories broke back into reality as she heard her mother screaming at her from downstairs to come and make dinner. 

Betty only turned the water to the shower off when she heard the front door slam and her mother’s car speeding away. She could only hope her mother was sober enough to drive sensibly. 

She didn’t want to think about losing anyone else. Not after the day she’d had. 

Would Nick really try anything else? It was obvious what he wanted from her, but what would he do to Jughead? Or her? Betty shuddered as she made her way downstairs and boiled some macaroni and cheese. 

She almost wished Jughead had never intervened to begin with, but that had been a lost cause since before he’d rescued her- Jughead and Nick were natural opposites, bound to butt heads. A real fight- not just some scuffle in an alley- was inevitable. 

.. .. .. .. 

Jughead waited patiently, leaning against Clayton’s motorbike. The sun hadn’t quite set behind Pop’s Diner- an agreed neutral ground for the boys, since Pop Tate happened to own a shotgun and stood for no nonsense between his young customers. 

Jughead tried not to worry about what Betty was dealing with right now- her mom, probably getting drunk again and hurling abuse at the poor girl. Exactly what she didn’t need today. 

Since when did he think about ‘poor girls’? Or worry about anyone but himself? 

He sighed, remembering the earlier revelation. He was in *love* with Betty Cooper, no doubt about it. If love was rescuing a damsel from an alleyway, it was really something he could do without. There was a nasty cut on his cheek from St Clair’s switchblade. 

What made Betty so different from all the other girls? Well, she was probably the smartest girl he’d ever met. A lot smarter than him. But she felt no need to prove it- she was naturally and unapologetically herself when she was with him. He liked seeing underneath that perfect exterior that he’d learned was entirely her mom’s creation. Betty Cooper, it turned out, was a rebel at heart. 

She was ambitious, getting some of the highest grades in the school. She loved journalism and reading in general, and one day she would be running the next big publishing house, somewhere far away from Riverdale, her mom, and St Clair. 

Betty listened to him. He’d even come close to telling her about his father every now and again, letting all his walls down. His stomach clenched every time he thought about doing so. The girl really had become his best friend- though what her actual proper title in his life was, he wasn’t so sure. 

She was pretty, too. In an unassuming, girl-next-door way. Not that that mattered, he tried to assure himself, as a picture of her green eyes lit up in a smile flitted through his mind. And her hair, not quite golden, though it was nowhere near as boring as ‘blonde’. He wondered what it would look like down, instead of in the ponytail her mother favoured. 

‘Christ,’ he thought, ‘I’m mooning over her like an idiot. Focus, Jones.’ He had to focus in St Clair, not waste time imagining how soft Betty’s hair would feel between his fingers, or the way her mouth felt when he kissed her, how she always opened it so sweetly if they were completely alone, gasping in her own shy way. Or how happy she’d looked when he’d taken her to see Polly... 

The sound of a car coming around the corner brought his focus back to the present. 

There was a wire fence around the back of Pop’s diner- the man had opened the gate for Jughead, but he wouldn’t for St Clair. The boy had a history of roughhousing and a lifetime ban from the interior of the restaurant. 

St Clair smirked as he pulled up and got out of his car, leaning against the other side of the chain link fence. His face was bruised to hell, but he still wore the same cocky grin. 

“Smart, making sure you’re on one side and I’m on the other.” 

“I’m not stupid.” Jughead scoffed. “Just easily bored. So, tell me what it’ll take to get you to leave Betty Cooper alone, and let’s get this over with, pal.” He smirked and patted the handlebar of his stolen transportation. “I’m sure your minion is still wondering where this beauty got to... and I’m sure he’d prefer to get it back in one piece.” 

St Clair’s grin slipped a little, but only briefly before he shrugged indifferently. “Oh, he’ll find where you’re keeping it, pretty boy. That’s just a matter of time.” 

Jughead yawned, enjoying the rage burning away in St Clair’s eyes. “Yeah, well, whatever. If you want it in exchange for her safety, you can take it right now.” 

“Oh, my price isn’t so cheap as that. What do you take me for?” St Clair’s voice dropped into something soft, dangerous. The voice of one predator warning off another. “If you want your precious princess to turn back into somebody not worth the hassle, you’ll have to work a lot harder than that.” 

Finally, time to get to business. Jughead stood up straighter, still leaning casually against Clayton’s motorbike. 

“What will it take?” 

The slow smile that spread across the other’s boy’s face told the entire story even before the words passed through his lips. 

The only way Nick St Clair would leave Betty Cooper alone was if Jughead Jones was tarred and feathered, and out of Riverdale. Expelled from school, probably something that’d get him in trouble with the law. Maybe something to do with drugs. Whatever it was, it would have to be something that made Jughead Jones’ name mud forever in Riverdale. 

He had to let St Clair win. 

.. .. .. .. 

Nick watched as Jughead rode off on his stolen motorbike, smirking until the other boy was completely out of sight. Then the grin dropped from his face and a scowl took up residence as he considered The Jones Problem. 

The dick had come prancing onto Nick’s territory like he owned the place- that was bad enough on its own- but what had started as an annoyance had quickly escalated into a real problem. A problem he’d been trying to work out the solution to, until the separate issue of Betty-too-fucking-pure-for-you-Cooper had unexpectedly proven to be the answer he’d been looking for. Nothing like having something useful drop into his lap. 

It wasn’t like she hadn’t been willing on that first night, when he offered to give her a ride because she looked tasty in the moonlight. 

When she’d asked him to drive her home, he hadn’t pressed her. Betty Cooper-type girls took time, and he was willing enough to give it to her... until that bastard Jughead Jones had intervened, That Night. Nick has found some Serpents hanging around near where he’d kicked Betty out of the car, and he’d paid them to put a bit of a scare into her- nothing malicious, just enough so that she would let him under her skirt next time without the hassle. That was when Jughead Jones had gone from an annoyance to a major pain in the ass, interfering in what was none of his goddamn business. 

Nick lit a cigarette, taking a quick puff before hopping back in his car, gunning back down the road faster than the speed limit would have allowed, if he’d bothered to know what it was. 

Both of his problems were about to be solved, in a very neat and tidy manner than appealed to him, just as soon as he made it to his next appointment. 

He hadn’t initiated this one, true, but he was confident that all he had to do was show up, and she’d come to him. No doubt, she’d offer what she’d denied him before: her sweet self, all in the name of protecting Jughead-Nobody-Jones. He shook his head in mock sorrow. What kind of world was this, when a good girl like Betty would rather bed a scumbag Serpent like Jones? 

It didn’t matter. Soon Jones would be gone, and Betty would be his. 

Who would have guessed that the way to another boy’s heart was between Betty Cooper’s legs? 

.. .. .. .. 

Betty’s heart was pounding in her chest as she slipped out of her bedroom window that night. 

By the time she reached her destination- a seedy garage halfway between the north and south side where Nick’s father often held clandestine meetings with his fellow psuedo-mobsters. There was no guarantee Nick would be there, but Betty had a feeling he was waiting for her- why wouldn’t he be? He knew she knew about the business he conducted out of the garage when his father was away. 

He’d seen the way she couldn’t leave Jughead’s side in that alleyway, even at her own expense. 

Betty knew that wouldn’t be the last of it, either. Not unless she gave him what he wanted. Maybe then he’d leave them both alone, if she gave up the thing she wanted most to save for Jughead- herself. 

She paused when she came to the door, seeing something glistening on the wood. As her eyes focused in the evening half-light, she gaped in horror. 

“COME ON IN, SERPENT SLUT” 

She hoped it was written in red paint, but the faintly rusty smell that emanated from the door didn’t fill her with confidence. 

.. .. .. .. 

Nick looked up at the sound of a soft knock on the door. He and Chuck had been playing a long game of pool to pass the time. 

“Well, what do you know, Chuck.” Nick smirked, walking to the door. “Looks like your replacement ride is here.” 

Chuck sniggered and sat in his ancient wooden chair, leaning it back and taking a drag from his cigarette as Nick opened the door. 

“Who’s there?” 

“It’s me. Betty. Betty Cooper?” Nick smirked once more and beckoned her inside with a lazy wave of his hand. 

“Betty!” The girl stopped in the middle of the room, eyeing Chuck with uncertainty, “What can I do with you? Thought you’d be out with your pretty boy tonight. Celebrating your victory, or something.” 

She flinched and blushed, hanging her head. Nick felt his cock harden in his trousers. ‘So pure,’ He thought to himself. Chuck was now leaning forward in his chair and eyeing Betty like a prime steak. No words were needed as his friend rose to his feet, eyes locked on Betty’s sweet body as she twisted her hands together nervously, clearly wondering if she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life, walking through that door. 

Nick felt something akin to admiration as she straightened her shoulders and dropped her hands to her sides, tilting her chin upwards in defiance. Chuck remained at her back, a little bit too close, causing her air of defiance to morph back into the fear that better suited her face. Nick smiled as he waited for her to speak. 

“Nick, if I- if I...” 

“If you what, Cooper?” Nick asked, mocking, “Come on. Chuck and I don’t have all night.” 

That was a lie, of course. He grinned just enough to let her know so, to see how she’d react. 

She blushed harder and her hands curled into fists. Her voice was loud and shaking: 

“If I let you... if I let you do what you wanted to do, that night... would you leave me and Jughead alone? For good? Would you promise?” 

This was better than Nick had imagined. It threw the deal with Jughead off of the table. He couldn’t wait to tell the other boy how sweet, virginal Betty Cooper had offered herself up to him (and Chuck, a sort of payment for the motorbike) like a common whore... That was a victory he’d savour forever, knowing he’d taken what Jughead had most wanted, the one thing no girl could ever take back... He couldn’t hold back the grin spreading across his face. 

It would be even better if one of them knocked her up- the perfect girl next door, unsure who her baby-daddy was. The humiliation would follow her around forever- which was more than he could say for the Jones boy, after this. Delicious. 

Yeah, this was definitely the best deal he’d ever made. Leaving them alone, after? Worth it. 

“Well, Betty.” He said, waiting for her shoulders to begin to shake with nerves, “I think Chuck and I, we’d like that. You’ve got a deal.” 

Betty’s eyes darted sideways as Chuck planted a deliberately sloppy kiss on her cheek, nipping at her earlobe. She yelped and tried to move away, but Nick’s hands grabbed her hips and held her in place. 

“I didn’t mean- not two of you!” She tried to protest, but Nick hushed her with a savage kiss, biting her lip and grinding his pelvis against hers to let her know how ready he was to consummate their deal. 

“Too bad.” He smiled, seeing that Chuck had pressed himself against the girl’s back, grinding his cock against her ass. “Chuck and I, we don’t usually share. But for you, Cooper, we’re willing to make an exception. Either this, or Jughead Jones gets what he deserves. Your choice.” 

He continued to lazily grind against her as Betty closed her eyes and shuddered, hard. He savoured the rising fear in her eyes as she opened them again and gave a tiny nod of acquiescence, before she gasped and he lowered his mouth to her neck, sucking a dark mark above the collar of her shirt, making certain she’d have to wear a scarf to cover it up properly for the next couple of days. 

He released his hold on her hips while Chuck’s hands took his place. He lifted her jumper over her head, and tore open her white button-up top to reveal her plain black bra and modest breasts. Sexier than he would’ve thought, for her. 

She began to squirm as Chuck’s hands reached around and began to unbutton her jeans. 

“Here?” She gasped, “Right now?” 

“No time like the present,” Nick replied with a cold laugh, before yanking down her skirt and grabbing two harsh handfuls of her ass. 

.. .. .. .. 

Idiot. He was an idiot. Jughead should have known she wasn’t going to just leave well-enough alone, or let him handle the situation! God, he just hoped he wasn’t too late... 

Jughead had gone to Betty’s house and found an old ladder by the side, perfect for leaning gently against her window and knocking. When he peered inside, however, her bedroom light had been left on, and her bed was empty. 

He knew exactly where she was headed, and exactly what St Clair would do to her. 

Knowing he’d have to leave her left a dull ache in his heart, but when he figured out what she’d done, it was replaced with fear. A sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, on a level he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before. 

He just hoped he would get there in time to stop Betty from making the worst mistake of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof, cliffhanger! As usual, I can't wait to see what you guys think of what's gonna go down next chapter...!
> 
> Thanks for reading, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! It's been a rough week of writing and everything is stressful right now, but next Wednesday the next chapter will be up!
> 
> See you then ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for attempted non-con. I personally don't find what I've written too graphic, but if you're extra sensitive then please skip this chapter. The events here will be self explanatory if you read on.

The scene that greeted Jughead Jones’ eyes when he picked the lock of the St Clair garage was one that would be forever branded into his brain: Betty Cooper, naked from the waist up, being groped- and worse- by Nick St. Clair and Chuck Clayton. 

None of them heard him enter. No, they weren’t aware of him at all. Clayton was busy trying to undress her, while St Clair was sucking harsh marks across her neck and breasts. Jughead's mind raced as he tried to work out the best approach when Nick’s words drove all reason and logic from his mind. 

“Lie down on the pool table, bitch. I want your blood staining it so I can think about fucking you every time I play.” 

Jughead had heard the term ‘seeing red’ before. He’d always thought of it as an immature excuse to be violent. Something the other Serpents used to justify their bar fights and petty gang squabbles. But now he knew first-hand that yes, a red haze did appear before completely and utterly losing it. 

He was aware of the animal growling that suddenly filled the garage. He only realised he was the one making it when Nick locked eyes with him. The richer boy’s expression fell three stories- from smug, to alarmed, to damn fearful. He immediately loosened his grip on Betty- he'd been squeezing her ass with one hand and tugging on her ponytail with the other- and stepped back, looking around the room for a weapon or an escape. 

Then Betty cried out in pain as Chuck shoved her to the floor in his haste to face the unexpected threat... and Jughead went berserk. 

.. .. .. .. 

Betty scrambled out of the way as the boys launched into battle, howling curses and spitting threats. Jughead’s voice was a low roar, hardly sounding human. Betty’s eyes were wide as she scrambled to pull her dress up, having to hold it in place as she backed against the wall and tried to make herself the smallest possible target. 

Jughead was gone. In his place was the Serpent prince- the boy they whispered about in the school hallways, the bad boy who wasn’t just bad, but dangerous. He was kneeling on the floor, hammering his fists into Nick’s face again and again, each punch punctuated with a fresh snarl: 

“You’re a waste of space.” Punch. 

“What kind of pathetic man-” Punch. 

“Forces a woman?” Punch. 

“I’ll fucking end you!” Punch.

But where was Chuck? 

Betty looked around for him, then screeched in pain as a strong hand grabbed her ponytail and yanked her up against his body. She felt the prick of a blade against her throat, robbing her of her voice. 

“Tell your fucking loverboy to let Nick go, or I swear to god I’ll slit your throat.” Chuck hissed into her ear, hauling her closer to the two bodies on the floor, now rolling around in a tangle of fists and kicks. “Tell him!” 

The point of the blade dug into her neck hard enough to draw blood. 

“Jughead!” Betty cried out. “Please! Stop! Let him go, please! You have to stop!” 

She knew she sounded like the pathetic damsel in distress she never wanted to be, but she felt numb. Everything in front of her felt like a movie, like everyone was just an actor, far from her. She knew her body was trembling, knew that her heart was dribbling like a basketball, but she couldn’t feel it. 

Jughead looked up from the fray, seeing her predicament. Something flashed through his face before Nick landed a hard blow to his jaw and managed to struggle to his knees, calling out to Chuck to help him, for fuck's sake. 

As Chuck loosened his grip on Betty, she grabbed his arm and bit down hard on his hand. The knife clattered to the floor and she kicked it underneath a rack of car tools, out of anyone’s reach. Then Chuck slammed her against the wall, hard, and she yelped as she hit the hard cement floor. She had to watch through blurred vision as the other two boys launched themselves at Jughead once more.   
.. .. .. .. 

Jughead became distantly aware of someone shouting his name, tugging at his wrists, screaming general pleas at him. He turned to tell them to fuck off when he realised it was Betty Cooper. She was crying- why? Was she hurt? His gut twisted as he took in the cut on her throat, a particularly big, dark bruise on her neck... but there didn’t look like there were any other injuries. So why was she so upset? It couldn’t be about the way he was squeezing the life out of Nick St. Clair, as Jughead’s fingers continued to tighten around the pathetic excuse for a boy’s throat. 

“Jughead, please,” Betty sobbed, still trying to drag him off of Nick, “Please, you’re killing him. You’ve won. Please don’t kill him. Not for me. Please...” 

He growled and released St Clair’s neck. The rat gasped for air, wheezing his way out of the room as fast as he could. 

Betty helped Jughead off of the floor. His eyes took in the chaos around them. Smashed chairs, broken pool cues, an unconscious- but probably not dead- Chuck Clayton. 

He wished he felt relieved that he could leave the garage as a non-murderer, but all he felt was the scarlet haze threatening to take over his vision again. A red so deep and dark it was practically black. But then the pale of Betty’s skin caught his eye. She was shivering, her eyes were pink from the tears of the night. He swallowed the red in his throat and turned her so her back was to him, zipping up her dress. The bastards had torn it, but they almost did a lot worse. 

“Did they hurt you?” His blue eyes searched hers, fingers brushing against the bruise on her neck. He remembered what it was and felt the anger rising again, but he pushed it down. “Anywhere else. Did they- did they...” 

She knew what he was asking and shook her head, lip trembling and curved upward in a strained smile he couldn’t reciprocate. “No. I’m... let’s go. Okay? Jughead?” 

Jughead noticed her shiver once more and took off his Serpent jacket and gave it to her, just as he had on their first night together. 

“I’ll take you home. Unless you need to go to the hospital?” 

“Not as much as you do!” Betty exclaimed, eyes sweeping over his wounds now that the air was quiet once more. Bruises littered his body, one eye threatened to swell shut, his lip was split- 

“I’m fine.” He took her hand and led her out of the room. “Let’s just get you home.” 

.. .. .. .. 

There were no words exchanged as Jughead boosted Betty up to her bedroom window, allowing her to sneak inside undetected. When he was sure she was safe, Jughead sped away as quietly as possible on his motorcycle. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been gunning the engine when it began to sputter and he noticed the tank was running on empty. He was outside of the town limits, in the countryside. Tall corn fields in the middle of nowhere. The perfect place to scream. 

He wasn’t just angry at himself, or Clayton, or St Clair. He hated himself for it, but he was angry at Betty. What the fuck was she thinking, offering herself to those idiots? Those maggots? 

The unwanted image of her, half-naked, sobbing across the pool table, with Nick thrusting into her... it wouldn’t leave his mind. The obvious realisation that Chuck was going to take a piece as well... Jughead felt the bile rise in his throat. Why didn’t Betty know better? Why wasn’t she smart enough to just stay away? 

Now his deal with Nick was fucked. Royally fucked. Now he’d have to cook up some even crazier plot to keep the bastard from hurting her. Even if he did tar his own name, leave Riverdale forever... it wouldn’t keep her safe. Not now. 

Jughead abandoned the motorcycle by the side of the road and began the long walk back in the direction of Riverdale, sure to keep the keys on him. He’d be damned if Chuck got the thing back in one piece, after all. 

He wished the blisters on his feet or the sweat on his brow could take away the sting of what he had to do next; the only thing he could do to keep Betty safe and out of St Clair’s clutches forever. Something he hated to do and would no doubt spend the rest of his life regretting. 

The image of Betty as he almost found her- naked, fucked on the pool table- came to his mind once again as he reached home, and a stream of curses fell from his lips as he realised there was no choice here, not at all. 

He’d have to ask his father for help. 

.. .. .. .. 

Betty made it into the house without being caught. Everyone was still asleep, luckily. Good. 

She headed to the bathroom, carefully eased the door shut before flicking on the light, and faced the mirror. 

Her eyes were swollen from all the tears, her cheeks were red- she'd been expecting that. That would be gone by morning. Fine. Her hair was a mess and somewhere along the way her hair tie had been lost, but a careful brushing smoothed things over well enough. The nick under her chin from Chuck’s knife could be from anything- nobody could tell what it was really from. Also fine. 

Her whole body ached, but there wasn’t much bruising anywhere that would show. Her breasts and buttocks would be purple for a while, but she’d expected that. It was her neck she was worried about. 

The bruises were huge, purple, and too high on her neck to be easily covered by anything but a turtleneck or a scarf. 

The sob startled her; erupting from her throat like a secret. Everything seemed to hit Betty at once: the reality of the night, the deal she’d struck with Nick (and Chuck, seemingly) and Jughead’s rescue of her. God, what must he think of her now? 

She sunk to her knees, sobbing silently and feeling as if she could be sick at any instant. 

What had she done? What the fuck had she been thinking? 

Jughead hadn’t said a word once he’d led her out of the garage, but she knew he was furious. At Nick and Chuck, but also at her. Honestly, she was furious at herself. To think that she was going to let them- 

She vomited into the toilet. 

As she flushed, she met her eyes in the mirror and told herself to get it together. She’d had good intentions. Sure, those paved the road to hell, but that didn’t make them any less good, did it? She rinsed out her mouth. 

She’d been riding down that road ever since she’d first let Nick pick her up in his car, ever since Jughead had first rescued her from Nick's cruelty. 

No wonder he’d been angry at her. The only thing he’d said was murmured under her window, before he boosted her up. How he’d made a deal with Nick. He wouldn’t tell her what it was, only that it didn’t matter anymore. Nick wouldn’t be in the mood to honour his end when he recovered. 

Betty shivered, pulling Jughead’s jacket off but holding it to her nose to inhale the scent. There was blood caked on the sleeves. She’d have to clean it before she gave it back to him. She shuddered, violent images flashing through her mind. Chuck and Nick might have been considered tough on the North Side, but they were no match for Jughead. If he hadn’t responded to her voice and her hands on his wrists, Betty knew he’d have killed them. And it would be her fault. 

How did Jughead know she’d be there? Betty couldn’t bring herself to care. She found a strange sort of warmth inside her- relief that the worst mistake of her life had been prevented. 

But now, there was no way that Nick would let it go. 'Not until he gets bored, or destroys it', that’s what Jughead had said. Betty realised it was true- and so far, the North side boy was far from bored. 

If there was any way out of this awful situation, she couldn’t think of it. She just hoped Jughead would be able to think again in the morning, that he’d be able to forgive her for making everything worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Poor Betty! Poor Jughead! Let's hope F.P. can help them get out of this one...
> 
> What did you guys think of this chapter? I hope you enjoyed reading it, even if this one was a bit dark... Stand by next week for a bit more fluff as we watch Bughead try to recover from this!
> 
> Love you all. Thank you so much for all your patience and feedback.


	7. Chapter 7

“You know, Boy, those actions of yours have consequences. And if you want me to clean up your mess, you have to do a little something for me.” 

That was F.P. Jones, terminally incapable of letting his son get away with anything. 

“Of course I do,” scoffed Jughead, dropping his backpack on the kitchen table and pouring himself a coffee. “Just tell me what you want, dad. Consider it done, no matter what, as long as you can protect Betty.” 

He’d explained the situation to his father as clinically as he could, trying not to let his emotions slip too far. F.P. couldn’t know Jughead had caught serious feelings for a girl- he didn’t trust any woman; not since Jughead’s mother had run off. 

Still, Jughead couldn’t help his hands from balling into fists when he described the scene he’d found in St Clair’s garage. Rage thickened in his voice as he murmured, “If they’re willing to do that to a well-to-do North side chick, imagine what they’d do to a Serpent. We can’t risk one of our own getting hurt because these bastards are getting cocky.” 

F.P. sat at the table, studying his son’s face. He’d been part of the gang since he wasn’t much younger than Jughead. He wasn’t stupid- he could tell his son was hiding his real feelings about the Cooper girl from him, and he didn’t like it one bit. 

Jughead could tell his father was reading him, decidedly not making eye contact. He stared into his dark cup of coffee and tried to swallow the anger. Betty seemed determined to fuck things up for herself- now she’d not only done it for herself, but for him as well. She couldn’t leave well enough alone, could she? No matter what might’ve happened to her, she’d proven that she was not just some docile girl-next-door stereotype, sitting by and letting life happen to her. As much as he hated to admit it, that stupid courage only made him love her more. 

There was that word again.

“Boy, don’t go making the same mistakes I did.” F.P. broke through his son’s thoughts. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re in love.” 

Jughead gaped at his father. “I’m not-” 

“Don’t you dare lie to me, either!” F.P.’s voice raised. “Now, if this North-sider was just some piece of ass, some stray territory between you and St Clair, then I could let you be. Let it run it’s course, but this-” 

“Get to the point, dad.” Jughead snapped, face hot. F.P. glowered at him; the two men seemed in an unspoken staring contest before Jughead sighed. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about Betty, okay? All that matters is that we get St Clair... and preferably Clayton, too. Can’t you just... I don’t know, make them disappear? Put the fear of god into them?” 

“You asking me to threaten a couple of minors, boy?” F.P. whistled. “That sounds just a bit illegal.” 

“Right,” spat Jughead. “Because you’d hate to do anything illegal, wouldn’t you, dad? Like smuggling drugs across Sweetwater River?” 

That barb hit F.P. where it hurt; he hadn’t known how much of the deeper Serpent business Jughead knew about. He straightened in his chair and grit his teeth. 

“Do you want my help or not?” 

Jughead scowled. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes. Tell me what you want me to do, or don’t. Just get those bastards away from Betty, and make sure they stay there.” 

“You’re gonna leave Riverdale.” 

Jughead’s blood froze in his veins. “What?” 

“You heard me, boy. And when you leave, you’re gonna go live with your mom. Finish high school, and go to university. No more Betty. No more of this Bonnie and Clyde bullshit. I want a better life for you, Jughead, and if you won’t do it for yourself then I guess this is what it takes.” 

Jughead hardly heard the last sentence. The blood was roaring too loud in his ears. He didn’t mean to let the emotions rise up in him, only to be crushed down by the reality of the situation. If he didn’t do what his father wanted, then Betty was as good as dead. If he did, then he wouldn’t see her for more than two years. Oh, he’d find a way to talk to her, make sure she was okay, but at the first sign of any fraternising his father would make life a living hell. Life without Betty would be hell anyway, but they could make it through. He just had one condition of his own. 

Then he nodded. “Consider it done. But, dad, if I’m gonna give up the next few years of my life to suit you, then I need more than just St Clair and Clayton gone. I need your word that the Serpents will look out for her... Keep her safe. Make life easier for her, if they can. She goes out late at night, she’s got guardian angels on her side. Some other asshole tries to force himself on her, they make sure his cock gets shoved up his own ass.” 

“Done.” 

F.P. seemed to be expecting the extra condition, eager to shake hands on it. 

Without another word, Jughead stood up and headed for the trailer door. “I’ll be ready to leave as soon as St Clair and Clayton are gone.” 

He didn’t wait for F.P. to respond, slamming the door shut behind him. 

As he left, he swore he smelt his mother’s perfume on the wind- but that was just a distant memory. He had too many of them in Sunnyside trailer park. He closed his eyes and leaned against the side of the trailer. Try as he might, he couldn’t remember what his mother’s face looked like. He could remember the sting across his face when he’d asked his father where she was. He could feel the silence every night after, eating cans of beans and instant-meals, watching his father drink himself to death. Getting knocked around from time-to-time. 

He knew his father regretted it. Otherwise he wouldn’t be so intent on sending Jughead away. Trying to look out for him. Besides, there wasn't much in Riverdale to tie Jughead there, apart from...

His mind flitted back to Betty. What was he going to tell her? Sure, he knew she had a core of steel running through her heart, trying to protect herself from damage, But his own heart was breaking in his chest now. He hadn’t realised it was beating before he met Betty. Maybe if he left her it would stop beating altogether. 

His hands curled into fists as be began to walk in no particular direction. His fingernails drew blood from his palms without him noticing. His jaw ached from grinding his teeth. He drew a shaky breath, trying to loosen up; studying the scarlet-lined crescents marring each palm. He’d seen similar markings on Betty from time to time. Huh. 

He should have gone to school today. Done something other than walk aimlessly around the woods, trying to find his mind. He knew, though, that there was no way St Clair or Clayton were in any shape to come after Betty- with any luck they’d be out of commission for at least a month- but he still shouldn’t have left her on her own. Not after that night. 

He shivered at the thought of facing her, talking to her. Not yet. Not until his rage at what had almost happened had dissipated a little. Until he could look at her without wanting to simultaneously kiss the breath out of her and shake her like a maraca. 

Monday. He’d go back to school on Monday. By then, hopefully, he’d have calmed down enough to be able to face her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Uploading with 36 minutes of this Wednesday left... At least I'm slightly punctual! 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Can't wait to hear your reactions to FP's deal. Tune in next Wednesday to figure out how Betty is handling things.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Monday morning rolled around, and Betty forced herself out of bed. She’d managed to avoid her mother all weekend, called school saying she had the flu on Friday, but there was only so long she could stare at her bedroom ceiling. 

The mirror didn’t give her much optimism for the day ahead. The bruise on her neck was faded, but it was turning an ugly green and yellow and wouldn’t be fully healed for days. It was the most visible of the marks Nick and Chuck had left on her body, but there was nothing that couldn’t be covered with long sleeves and scarves, in spite of the weather that was just beginning to warm once more. 

Jughead hadn’t come around since that night. She wished he’d turn up on their street corner, throw a pebble at her window; anything. She kept waking up at night thinking she heard his voice, whispering something in her ears. Each time her heart fell a little lower in her chest when she realised she was alone. 

He probably hated her. Why else would he leave her alone when she obviously needed someone to lean on? And why shouldn’t he leave her? She hated herself, too. She should have known he’d have some plan to deal with Nick... but then, he hadn’t told her, had he? If he had... 

She rested her head against her locker, remembering the tension in his face. The anger and pain. No kiss goodbye. Nothing more than a glare, a cold silence that chilled her more than the cool night air. 

Betty sighed against her locker and stood up straighter. Maybe he just needed more time. If he doesn’t come to me by the ned of the week, I’ll go looking, she thought. 

She heard Veronica before she saw her. ‘Betty! You’re back!’ 

Betty took a deep breath before turning to her best friend, forcing a weak grin onto her face. Veronica felt like a faded photograph- something she cherished, something from a time that was slipping away. 

‘Yeah, I was just a bit sick on Friday. Better now.’ 

Veronica frowned, then squinted at her. So much for people not noticing Betty’s gaunt face or tired eyes, or the fact that Betty seemed to have aged thirty years in one weekend. 

‘Oh my god, what happened? Did you and Jughead have an accident on the motorbike? He looks even worse than you do.’ Veronica lifted Betty’s chin and inspected the nick at the top of her throat with wide eyes. ‘Is that why you two were out of school on Friday?’ 

‘No.’ Betty said, cursing herself for not blindly agreeing a moment later. ‘Don’t worry, Ronnie. I’m fine. Really.’ 

Betty forced Veronica’s hands away, wincing as Veronica’s fingers snagged the top of her scarf, pushing it down to reveal the top of the bruise on Betty’s neck. 

Veronica gaped in horror, before her lips formed a grim line and Betty found herself pushed into the girl’s bathroom. Luckily all the cubicles were empty. Veronica pushed Betty over to the sink and searched her eyes. 

‘Did that bastard do anything to you, Betty? I didn’t want to believe the gossip, but... did- did Jughead-’ 

‘What gossip?’ Betty quickly pulled her scarf back into place. ‘Jughead didn’t do anything to me. What are you talking about, Ron?’ 

Veronica’s eyes narrowed, until she seemed to make a decision in her head. ‘Some of the girls were whispering earlier. Saying Jughead hurt you. Attacked you, and then turned on Nick and Chuck when they tried to help you.’ 

Betty couldn’t stifle a laugh at that, and Veronica looked openly alarmed. 

So that was the spin they were putting on it, was it? Christ, even if Betty denied it- Jughead was from the South Side. Nobody at this school would be leaping to his defense- or hers, if she tried to protect him. Betty bit her lip. 

‘What else are they saying?’ 

Veronica looked at the floor. 

‘Tell me.’ 

‘They’re saying you... let him. At first, at least.’ The words left Veronica’s mouth slowly, as if they were being torn from her soul. ‘They’re saying you came onto Nick, and Chuck, and that you’re a slut. That that’s why Jughead... ugh.’ Veronica shook her head. 

Betty knew what that kind of gossip meant. The kind of thing good girls weren’t supposed to know about, as if it never happened to them, either. 

Rape. 

But, the wrong boy was being accused- by the wrong people. And yes, this time Betty supposed she had ‘asked for it’, offering herself up as she had... that didn’t make anything right, though. No, she felt in her gut that things were horribly, horribly wrong. 

‘I know it’s not true.’ Veronica blurted out, quick to take Betty’s hand and give it a squeeze. ‘You wouldn’t lead a guy on like that and... if Jughead had done something like that, you wouldn’t defend him, right?’ 

There was a fire in Veronica’s eyes. Betty bit back a smile. Loyal to the end, that was Veronica. She was surprised the brunette hadn’t already confronted Jughead herself. 

Betty shook her head. No, she’d never defend a boy who tried to do something so terrible to her... but it was her and Jughead against Nick and Chuck, and who wouldn’t believe the two heartthrobs over Betty and Jughead? Sure, the Coopers had a good enough reputation, but that didn’t mean people wouldn’t turn on her at the drop of a hat. 

‘Right.’ Veronica looked at Betty once more, gritting her teeth. ‘There’s one last thing you need to know.’ 

‘What?’ 

‘I heard Reggie and Dilton bragging that you’d slept with them as well.’ 

Her old crushes. Reggie had taken her out when she was fifteen, they’d clumsily made out twice and then he’d broken things off with her to pine after Cheryl Blossom. And Dilton? She’d only been twelve when they’d dated, if it could even be called that. Holding sweaty palms and playing truth or dare certainly wasn’t Betty’s idea of romance. 

‘They’re lying. And I know who put them up to it, too.’ Betty felt sick to her stomach, helpless and angry. 

‘Nick?’ 

‘And Chuck. It has to be.’ Betty pinched the bridge of her nose and made a decision. 

She told Veronica everything, from the night Nick had abandoned her on the Southside to the events of the night that almost ruined her life- and had, apparently, ruined her reputation. She concluded by describing Jughead’s rescue to a wide-eyed (and enraged) Veronica. 

‘Betty Cooper, I can’t believe how stupid that was! Brave, but stupid and just what were you-’ She paused and gaped at Betty. ‘Oh. My. God. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’ 

Betty couldn’t answer before a group of freshmen flooded into the bathroom, casting a mixture of disgusted and angry looks Betty’s way. 

Betty quickly turned to the sink and washed away the remnants of tears she hadn’t realised were falling down her cheeks. She listened in a far-away sort of way to Veronica cussing out the gossiping girls in Spanish. Betty studied her reflection and noted that she looked almost as bad as she did on Thursday. 

How am I going to get through the rest of the day, let alone a whole week? A month? A year of this? 

She knew the truth was on her side, but what did that matter? Only four people knew that truth, and nobody would believe her and Jughead. 

Jughead. Betty felt her feet carry her out of the bathroom, Veronica close behind. Was he in school today? Did he know these rumours already? People already thought the worst of him; now there was an excuse for them to take things out on him. And even if he usually didn’t care what the others thought, he’d definitely mind being accused of forcing himself on a girl. 

And what if the rumours reached the teachers? He could be expelled, or worse... Betty’s mother could find out. Nobody listens to the victim in these cases, Betty thought, heart pounding. Tears threatened again, but she reminded herself that she loved Jughead, and there was no way she’d let him go down without vehemently denying all the rumours, to anyone and everyone; regardless of if they were listening. She’d make them listen. 

She looked like hell walking, but she was going to hold her head high, get through the day, and none of this would ruin her. Or Jughead. 

Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Long time no see!
> 
> It's been a whole freaking month since I've updated, and I'm sorry for that. BUT, I did win NaNoWriMo, so I wasn't just being lazy, at least... Now my novel is almost finished, so I'll be back to updating on Wednesdays again.


	9. Chapter 9

When Jughead returned to school on Wednesday, he was surprised at what a week of avoiding everyone- particularly Betty- had done. 

Whispers surrounded him as soon as he came to the hallway. He was used to being ignored, shoved into a locker, whatever, but this was new. He knew that things weren’t great, even before he got to his locker and was hit by the smell. Hot and gooey, sickly sweet. He recognised it even before he opened the door and the maple syrup dripped onto his shoes. His notebooks were soaked. His gym gear belonged in the dessert section of Pop’s menu. Someone had apparently emptied a bottle of syrup into his locker- on either Friday or Monday, if he had to guess. 

He slammed the locker door shut. He wasn’t going to be in Riverdale for much longer. Anything he left at Riverdale High could grow mold, for all he cared. 

‘Didn’t think you had the nerve to come back,’ He heard from behind him. It was a distinctly unpleasant voice. Jason Blossom, star player on the football team, and the guy who’d gotten Betty’s sister pregnant. Was he angry? Jughead frowned at the taller boy. No. He was smirking. Playing a game, three other footballers behind him trying to look intimidating. 

Jughead turned around fully, leaning against his locker with his arms crossed, meeting Jason’s eyes coldly. 

‘What am I supposed to have done?’ Jughead said, trying to sound bored. 

Jason glared at him, but a twitch from the left side of his cheek betrayed some amusement. He was getting off on this confrontation, whatever it was about. 

‘Everyone knows what you did to Betty.’ Jason stepped forward, towering over Jughead and taking in the Southsider’s bruised knuckles. ‘We’re onto you know, Jones. Don’t think you’re gonna get away with what you’ve done.’ 

Jughead’s eyes narrowed at the accusation. Betty would never accuse him of a thing, but he knew who would. Sure, Nick and Chuck were still out of school, nursing their injuries and licking each other’s egos, but they had connections. Cronies, Ghoulies who’d been seen by the Serpents going in and out of St Clair’s houses. It wouldn’t take much to spread a rumour against Jughead at Riverdale high. But there were enough of those already- but whatever was going around this time must be supremely bad. 

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ Jughead stepped up to Jason, who instinctively stepped back, forcing the other three boys to stumble into each other, unprepared for their fearless leader’s retreat. ‘And if I were you, I wouldn’t go accusing anyone of something they didn’t do. Especially not you, Blossom.’ He growled, half under his breath but loud enough for the others to hear, ‘Do your teammates know about what you’ve been doing with Miss Grundy, for example? Does Miss Grundy’s husband know?’ 

Blossom muttered some denial that sounded weak, even to his friend’s ears. Jughead had seen the redhead with the music teacher months ago- his minor suspicions were confirmed instantly, and he smirked even as Jason slammed his fist into the locker beside Jughead’s head and walked away. 

Jughead’s smirk faded when he remembered that this wasn’t just Jason Blossom. No, there was a rumour going around, something about him doing something to Betty... a lump formed in his throat when he realised what that might be, especially if Nick had something to do with it. The rich asshole wasn’t above placing his crimes on another’s shoulders, especially not Jughead's. And if Betty’s reputation suffered as well? That was the cherry on top of his villainous sundae. 

‘I should have hit him harder,’ Jughead grumbled to himself as he headed towards his first class of the day. Time to see if any dim-witted teachers had found out about these rumours yet. That would inform his next move... and how he could contact Betty. 

.. .. .. .. 

When she approached her locker at lunchtime, Betty’s feet slowed at the sight of a familiar form leaning against the wall, hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his leather jacket, head lowered as if he were studying his feet. 

Betty wasn’t sure if she could face him after his absence of nearly a week, but someone brushed into her from behind, jolting her back into the present and reminding her that there were other people in the hallway; people who’d love to gossip about innocent Betty Cooper avoiding the Crook of a Southsider. She wasn’t about to let that happen. 

She clutched her books tightly to her chest and stopped in front of Jughead. She didn’t bother to plaster on a smile- neither did he. 

‘Where’ve you been?’ She asked after a painfully long moment. A heartbeat. ‘I missed you.’ 

He looked at her, then at a group of girls who were clearly eavesdropping from across the hallway. He straightened up and, wordlessly, held out his hand. His face remained expressionless, but something flickered behind his eyes- something as tired as Betty felt, but hope was there, too. 

His warm fingers curled around hers as she acquiesced, and when he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips (causing their audience to gasp in surprise) Betty kissed back, allowing him to tug her along to wherever it was they were going, hopefully far from the prying eyes of the student body. 

He led them through the school courtyard, down to where the track team would be practicing when the season came. It was a quiet corner of the campus, circled partly by a chain-link fence and partly by Sweetwater River. Any view the other students had of them was hindered by a disused science building, which Jughead tugged her behind. 

Sure they were away from any gossips, he plucked the books from her arms and dropped them to the ground. 

Before Betty could protest she was pinned against the wall with Jughead’s hands either side of her head, cupping her face, their bodies fully pressed against each other. He looked into her eyes, gave a crooked grin, and kissed her until there was no air left in either of their lungs. 

When they finally broke apart, Betty gasped, ‘I thought you were mad at me! It’s been a week, Jug! Where’ve you been, anyway? Haven’t you heard what people have been sayi-’ 

He responded with another kiss, laced with desperation. Desperation Betty returned as she closed her eyes and dug her fingers into his back, pulling him closer until he groaned, deep in the back of his throat. 

When the kiss ended, Jughead could look anywhere but at her. ‘I’m not angry. Not anymore. I’m sorry I ever was. I know you were just trying to help, but I also know what those assholes were thinking, and you would’ve gotten hurt, and... and the thought of them hurting you, Betty...’ 

He finally met her gaze, letting her glimpse the unguarded fear, the haunted expression in his eyes has he took her hands and kissed them both. Betty noticed his knuckles were still bruised; there was still a hint of swelling under one eye. 

Betty bit her lip and nodded as his words. She understood what he was saying. More importantly, she understood what he wasn’t saying; he’d been more than angry. Jughead Jones was afraid- for her, of what could have happened to her that night, and for what might still happen when Nick and Chuck recovered. 

She pressed a palm to his swollen cheek and he leaned into it, his hand reaching up to cover hers. 

‘So what do we do now, Jug? How do we fix this?’ She whispered, knowing he’d have a plan. He always did; she should have known that from the beginning. Maybe they could have avoided the impossible situation they found themselves in now. 

‘What do you need?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Finally Jughead braves the school. I love these two so much, it's gonna be great to get to the end of this journey, sad as that is. 
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying! Much love, thanks for reading! ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

Betty Cooper, Jughead decided, was the most amazing girl he’d ever met, or would ever meet. Any other girl would never have forgiven him for basically dropping her for an entire week, when she needed him the most, for being angry with her when she’d only been trying to help, to protect him. 

Thank God the teachers hadn’t found out about the idiotic rumours yet. Jughead didn’t want to be asked so many uncomfortable questions- and he CERTAINLY didn’t want the same to happen to Betty. He already felt the blame for half of the fictional events landing on her shoulders, and it enraged him. 

‘What do you need?’ 

The question, so quietly asked, wasn’t what he was expecting. But that was Betty Cooper; thinking about him, his needs, not her own. Had it even occurred to her that he should be asking HER that question? 

He knew his father’s plans were already in motion, but he was in the dark as to what those plans might be. 

Jughead told her everything. All of his anger, at her, at Nick and Chuck and himself. How she’d ruined the plans he’d already set in motion- though he knew even hearing about these plans hurt her, as the tears welled in her eyes. Finally, he told her about the deal he’d made with F.P. Jones. 

Betty was half-sobbing, but she brushed harshly at her wet cheeks, and half-screeched at him; words tumbling over each other so harshly it felt like a verbal avalanche, burying him in her hurt and his shame. 

‘Jughead Jones, how could you be such an idiot? Why would you agree- I don’t need protecting- I can take care of things myself, you know- And if Nick comes trying anything again, I’ll bite HIS throat out! I’m not letting their civil war split us apart, Jug! Your Dad can go to hell, I won’t let him force you into this- I won’t...’ 

The only way to stop her was to kiss her again. This level of emotion was why Jughead avoided anything more than flings... and yet, he couldn’t stifle a warmth that rose in his chest just from being near Betty again. She felt the same as him, he knew it... but she was in denial of the worst part of their future. 

To be together, they’d have to stay apart. 

There wasn’t any other way- they could run away together, sure, but what life would that be? Betty wanted to go to university; for that she needed to finish high school, needed to stay at home, unstable as it was it was better than the open roads, it held more for her than he could give, at least for now. 

God help him, he wanted something better than he could give for her. He wanted to throw a lasso around the moon and pull it down for her, wrapped up in a bow. But hyperbole wouldn’t help them now. Not more than anything else. Jughead realised as he pulled away from her just how much he loved Betty Cooper, and because he loved her he couldn’t be selfish with her. His heart broke, looking into her beautiful green eyes. 

‘Fuck, you’re even perfect when you cry,’ He mumbled under his breath, thumb tracing over her lower lip. ‘You asked me what I needed, Betty. Do you really want to know, or do you want to keep yelling at me, when you know there’s nothing to be said to change my mind?’ 

The air left Betty’s body. She sagged against the wall, eyes on the ground and shoulders slumped; the picture of defeat. Jughead felt like the biggest asshole in the world. Guilt and regret wrestled in his stomach, but apologising would only give Betty false hope. 

‘Look,’ He began, choosing his words carefully, ‘I don’t know what my dad has planned, but I do know it probably involves us not being able to see each other for around the next two years.’ He pressed a finger to her lips before she could begin to protest again, ‘I know a lot can happen in two years. We’ll be done with high school, starting at university... Who knows? Maybe the way you feel about me will change.’ His voice cracked then, and he hated himself for it. ‘Maybe it won’t. But, no matter what, you’ll always be important to me, Betty. You’ve always trusted me, and I need you to trust me now more than ever, especially when I say: keeping you safe is the only thing that matters to me right now. Don’t fight me, don’t turn down whatever great things come your way, and-’ He let out a miserable sigh he hadn’t realised he’d been holding- ‘And don’t try to stop this from happening. Let the cards fall where they will... can you trust me that much, Betty?’ 

Tears pooled in Betty’s eyes and began to trace down her cheeks like diamonds. Jughead wiped them away with his thumbs, waiting for an answer. 

She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him so tightly he thought he felt his back crack. Betty let out a long, shuddering breath, resting her ear against his heart as she choked, 

‘Stay.’ 

‘I can’t-’ 

‘That’s what I want to say.’ She looked up at him, before quickly hiding her face against his chest once more. ‘But... I do trust you, Jug. Whatever you need to do... I promise. I’ll let it go according to plan.’ 

‘All of it?’ Jughead needed to be sure. 

‘All of it.’ 

She shuddered against him, threatening to break down again, but she didn’t. Instead, she pulled away from him, keeping his hands in hers and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. She held his gaze, green eyes burning into his blue. 

‘I won’t- won’t make you promise to wait for me, Juggie. Or wait for you myself. Two years is a long time, like you said. A lot can happen. But I need something from you, too; that’s not gonna change. I need you to send word to me when you can- just to- to let me know you’re okay. Okay? Since your dad’s cronies will be keeping tabs on me, I don’t think I’ll be too hard to find, right? And I’ll do whatever it is you need me to do, even if...’ She blinked and looked at their feet. ‘Even if It's just as friends.’ 

Quid pro quo: he’d asked something of her, so she wanted something in return- something Jughead didn’t want to agree to. It would be more painful for both of them, and what if his dad found out and left her unprotected? 

Then he looked into her eyes and thought, fuck it. He nodded and kissed her forehead. 

She gave him a sad smile before pulling his face down to hers for a kiss. When she made to pull away, he refused to let her go; kissing her far more roughly and with more desperation than he ever had before. He had no idea if this would be the last time they’d touch before his father sent him to Toledo, but if it was... he wanted her to remember it for the rest of her life. 

Hell, if they could have gotten away with it, he’d have secreted her away to somewhere private in Evergreen Forest and made love to her. But there was no chance of that happening today, when the eyes of the whole school were on them, and when he had no idea if that was what she wanted. He had to get her back to class, and wait for his father’s orders. 

Betty returned the kiss with equal fervour, sharing his uncertainty, trying to push the future as far away as it could go. 

The future has a way of snapping back at you, like an elastic band. 

.. .. .. .. 

Jughead waited for Betty to emerge from her last class, fully intending to walk her home. Maybe they could sneak in a quick trip to Pop’s diner before the world was pulled out from beneath them. 

When he heard the revving of a motorcycle, Jughead knew his plans had gone to shit. He had no idea F.P. and the Serpents worked so fast. 

On the motorbike was a boy almost Jughead’s age who he barely recognised- his father’s protégé, Sweet Pea. 

‘What do you want, Sweetie?’ Jughead snapped, causing Sweet Pea to wrinkle his nose at the nickname. 

‘I’m not here for you, Princess. I’m here for Cooper.’ 

Jughead’s blood ran cold. ‘Why did my dad send you here for Betty?’ His hands turned to fists at his sides as he took a threatening step towards Sweet Pea. ‘If he thinks he can intimidate her-’ 

The younger gang member shook his head. ‘It’s her sister. Apparently there was an accident at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. A fire of some kind. Polly was caught in it. She’s at the hospital now, but things aren’t looking so great.’ 

Sweet Pea’s voice lowered as Betty came out of the school doors and waved at Jughead, 

‘She’s not expected to make it through the night.’ 

Jughead cursed himself for abandoning Chuck’s motorbike. ‘I’ll take her on your-’ 

Sweet Pea was already shaking his head, and Jughead realised the separation of him and Betty had already begun... but so had the ‘guardian angels’ side of things, as his father had promised. 

‘What’s up?’ Betty looked between the two men, already sensing some gravity to the situation. 

Jughead explained the question quickly, taking no delight in watching the colour drain from Betty’s face. 

‘Go on Sweet Pea’s motorcycle, he’ll keep you safe.’ Jughead’s voice betrayed him for the thousandth time that day, and he knew from Betty’s wide eyes that she understood what was going on. 

Before she got onto the motorbike, Jughead kissed her forehead and looked expectantly at Sweet Pea, who sighed in exasperation before taking off his helmet and handing it to Betty. Jughead murmured a few futile hopes into Betty’s hair, and then she was speeding away towards the hospital. 

Then she was out of sight. It was the last time Jughead would see her for two years. 

He’d forgotten to say ‘I love you’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas/ Feliz Navidad, everyone! I hope you all have a great time ^_^ Today I'll be posting two chapters instead of one, and on New Years we'll be ushering things in with the epilogue. I hope you enjoy all the writing! Plus, I couldn't just leave you all with this cliffhanger on Christmas, could I? ;)


	11. Chapter 11

New York, Two years later... 

The bottom level of the fire escape was and wasn’t the best place for Betty to sit and think. There was nobody to bother her, but there was also a long line of all the neighbourhood garbage cans on either side of the alleyway, blocking the view of what was otherwise a very nice brick wall. The apartment was too hot on this late June afternoon for Betty to even think about going back inside, however. 

She’d been in New York for almost two years now. Her first year had been spent living in student dorms, much to her mother’s chagrin. Nowadays she rented a modest apartment with Veronica, though a portion of the rent was always somehow paid for by a ‘charitable donor’ that she nor Veronica ever looked for. They were just happy enough to be out of Riverdale. 

A similar thing happened with a portion of Betty’s tuition fees- though she’d won a partial scholarship, a ‘charitable donor’ was helping her find the rest of the money to get through her journalism degree. Betty hadn’t had any contact with a Southsider since Sweet Pea had dropped her off at the hospital, shortly before Polly’s death. 

She still missed her sister, with a fire that would never stop burning in her heart. But she’d been saying good-bye to Polly for years at that point- Polly's removal from the family had been a sort of death in the first place, but this made things final. There was someone else Betty had lost at the same time that she missed more. 

Jughead. She’d never seen him again. She and Veronica had managed to scare the gossips at school into giving them whatever information they had, but there still wasn’t much. Chuck had been sent away to a private school, nearer where his father worked in the Hamptons. Nick hadn’t been so lucky- apparently his mother, who lived in Chicago, had showed up in his life again and whisked him away to military school for reasons unknown to the public- Betty suspected an anonymous serpentine phone call. And Jughead? … No-one knew where he was, probably by design. 

The first year after they parted ways, Betty had no idea either. 

She was far from the girl he’d left behind, now. Betty was twenty, living in a big city far away from her mother, though she still answered the controlling phone calls every now and again. Her father never spoke to her anymore and Alice Cooper only cared to nag at her about moving away and ‘abandoning’ her family. There was a guilty feeling of relief that the family was far away now. 

The pain from being seperated from her family was nothing compared to the pain of the first year without Jughead. There was nothing- no calls, no letters, nothing. Had he found someone new? Forgotten her? Or had his family convinced him he wasn’t right for a hoity-toity North Sider? 

All such worries evaporated when she received the first post-card from him. Raggedy, posted from Toledo, it had a picture of a few cars on one side, but what interested her most was the message on the reverse: 

‘Studying journalism. Not as boring as I thought it’d be. I miss you. Jughead.’ 

So, he knew where she was, after all this time. She’d written him back, a long and sprawling letter full of everything she wanted to tell him, everything that’d happened since their last kiss, but there’d only been another brief post card in response. 

‘I still miss you. I have to concentrate on my studies now, so you won’t hear from me for a while. I’m sorry. It’s part of the deal. Jughead.’ 

The deal. THAT deal, that forced them apart but made them ever closer- Betty doubted she could afford her tuition or half of the rent without the anonymous donor who seemed to follow her everywhere. She’d trade every penny for more time with Jughead, impractical as it was. 

She missed him more than she thought possible. Veronica had tried to coax her into going on double dates with her and her new boyfriend, Archie, but Betty always found reasons not to go. She didn’t want to be set up with a random man Veronica thought would be suitable. 

Betty valued these moments alone on the fire escape more, with her bare feet dangling over the edge and her jeans rolled up, her mother would think she looked like an urchin. Her mother could suck a dick. Nothing Betty ever did could satisfy the woman, so what was the point in valuing her opinion? Their phone calls were one-way monthly exchanges, guilt trips encouraging Betty to come home, find a suitable husband, and settle down into the life that had been ‘good enough’ for her parents and their parents before them. 

Invariably the calls turned towards how much Alice missed Polly, how Betty couldn’t possibly understand her mother’s pain, as if sending Polly to her doom had been Betty’s idea all along! 

Betty swiped at a tear, determined not to cry. She thought about going into the apartment to get a few essays done, wrinkling her nose. Just then, the sound of an approaching motorbike filled her world. She whirled around to see who was at the mouth of the alley. 

Her mind went blank. The rider, hidden by his helmet, looked very familiar. It couldn’t be... He took the helmet off, and she was sure. 

Jughead looked up at her with such uncertainty, unsure how she’d react to seeing him again after so much time. 

‘Hey, Betts.’ He said, voice deep and soft as she remembered it. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, but...’ He shrugged. ‘That as the deal. I did what my dad wanted, kept up my grades, so now I can finish my last two years here in New York.’ 

She stared down at him, and he suddenly seemed further away- why? Oh. Betty realised she’d risen to her feet, hands clenched so tightly around the top rail that she could feel every flake of rust digging into her palms. 

‘Jughead?’ She whispered, then hurtled to where the ladder was pulled up from the ground, tugging at it hopelessly as her vision blurred with tears. The mechanism to drop the ladder was rusted shut, motionless, and she hit it in frustration. 

‘Betty! Betty!’ The second time he called her name she finally heard him. He was stood almost directly underneath her, arms raised. ‘Jump down, I’ll catch you!’ 

The oddly tentative expression on his face had changed to something halfway between alarm and eagerness as she practically vaulted over the rail and jumped, allowing herself to be caught, bridal-style, in his arms. 

Instead of lowering her to the ground, he only held her tighter, swinging her in a small circle before coming to a stop. 

‘You forgot your shoes,’ He smiled, tears pooling in his eyes, not quite spilling onto his cheeks. 

Betty laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her mouth on his for a wonderful, toe-tingling kiss that was long overdue. They moved so that she was now straddling him, his hands on her ass, and her pressed against the alley wall. 

When they pulled away, she realised they’d both stopped crying, finally. 

‘What’s the matter?’ He asked, studying her face. 

‘Nothing,’ She chuckled. ‘I’m happy, you idiot. Can’t you tell? Stop acting like a teenager and kiss me again.’ 

And he did. A real kiss, mouths open, tongues dueling, her hands in his hair. It started out sweet, then turned rough and passionate. Clearly the desire she felt wasn’t all one-sided... had he really never stopped missing her, as she had him? 

She shouldn’t be making out with him in an alleyway. She should be screaming at him for only sending two postcards in as many years. She should be pushing him away, not pulling him closer. She certainly, absolutely should NOT be thinking about dragging him back up to her apartment and ripping his clothes off. 

But she was. And she would, she decided. 

Jughead’s body was feverishly pressed against hers, and there was a definite bulge beneath his jeans that rubbed against somewhere Betty had only ever touched herself. If she didn’t stop this soon, their first time would be right here in this filthy alley, and that would NOT do. 

He pulled away to kiss down her neck, and she whined, ‘Not here, Juggie, please.’ 

His eyes, which looked wild with desire, seemed to focus on hers. He frowned, but allowed her to slide down his body, her feet resting on top of his boots rather than touching the filthy asphalt. 

‘My flat is on the second floor. Veronica’s staying over at her boyfriend’s, so we have the place to ourselves if- if that’s what you want...’ She was suddenly self-conscious, uncertain. What if she’d read the situation wrong? What if the kissing and the grinding didn’t mean- 

‘Stop it, Betty.’ He ordered, brow furrowed in annoyance. ‘I didn’t come looking for you, just to... I want you, too.’ He finished in a rush. 

Seeing Jughead tongue-tied and downright flushed, his hair messy from her fingers running through it... She just wanted to kiss him again, to never stop, but first they had to get back up to her room. 

‘Boost me up, I should be able to figure out how to get the ladder down for you. I left my keys up there, so we can’t go around the front.’ 

He nodded, but his hands stopped at her hips. He gazed down at her. 

‘I missed you,’ Jughead confessed. ‘I missed you, and I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to give you a real good-bye before I left, but I did it to keep you safe and I can’t- I won’t apologise for that... But I am sorry for not keeping in touch.’ His voice softened. ‘It was hard. Trying to live up to my side of the agreement. My dad wanted nothing but the best from me, for me to be better than he ever was. My mom... she just wanted to keep me away from distractions, and when he told her about you... I had to... let you go. A little. Lock you up until it was safe to think about you again. I hope you understand, Betty.’ 

He looked lost as he made that confession, the regret in his eyes banishing any worries Betty had about their time apart. 

‘I do,’ She whispered in response. 

He kissed her again, fiercely, hands tight on her hips. 

There would be time to sort things out between the two of them later, now she just wanted to do what she’d been dreaming of since she was seventeen. She wanted to spirit Jughead up those stairs, and into her bed. If that meant she was going to hell for having sex out of wedlock... at least Jughead would be there, too. 

Jughead grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up. She wrapped her hands around the lower part of the railing and dragged herself up onto the deck. When she turned to look at Jughead, she realised that he’d taken an running leap and made it onto the railing as well, scrambling up after her. 

‘What about your motorbike?’ She asked. ‘Aren’t you worried it might get stolen?’ 

He grinned and shrugged. ‘It might, but then again Sweet Pea stole it to begin with, so I’m not too worried.’ 

Before she could protest, he pulled her close for another searing kiss. 

‘I believe you were about to show me your apartment, Miss Cooper?’ His lips brushed her earlobe and sent a rush of heat towards her core. ‘Shall we?’ 

She all-but grabbed Jughead’s hand and tugged him inside, grinning like an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed tonight's double feature! This chapter is definitely one of my favourites. I hope you all liked it too. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, everyone!


	12. Chapter 12

They had to clamber into her room through the windowsill, but as soon as they were both in the room he took her in his arms once more, pressing his lips to hers. Their bodies touched so entirely that Betty could feel the length of his erection, warm against her thigh. Then his hands were everywhere- so were hers, to be fair. He cupped her breasts, clutched her ass to bring them closer together as she pushed his leather jacket down his arms and he lifted her t-shirt over her head. 

Before there was time to think, he was naked before her, toned and muscular. He was as lithe as he’d ever been, and a myriad of scars covered his knuckles and arms, probably from working in his mom’s car shop, and the great many scrapes he’d gotten into. Betty made a mental note to ask him the story behind each and every one, later. Much later. 

When he noticed the awe on her face, he smirked the same way he had when they’d first me, when he’d first kissed her. Now it came to Betty’s mind that she was also naked- every minor flaw was enlarged in her mind’s eye- her breasts nothing to brag about- she hadn’t shaved her legs in two days, stubble just beginning to grow back. She wasn’t skinny as a magazine cover, no matter how she dieted. But as she saw the visible hunger on Jughead’s face as he drank in her visage, she’d never felt sexier. 

She worked to complete the job of removing her underwear, fumbling slightly, revealing her nervousness to his sharp gaze. 

‘You could never disappoint me, Betty,’ He rasped, voice thick with want. As his gaze trailed fully over her, his eyes dark, she looked at his erection. 

Oh my god. He was big. Not that Betty had any more than girl’s room gossip to compare him to, but how the hell was he going to fit inside her? Surely she would be too tight, he wouldn’t enjoy himself, and it would hurt more than she already thought it would... not to mention Betty’s complete lack of experience- would that bother him? 

Before the panic could completely sieze her he smiled and moved close again, cupping her face and kissing her lips with such tenderness most of her anxiety melted away. She gasped at the feeling of his cock against her stomach, hot and hard, and she wanted him, so much... She’d never wanted another boy like this. Nobody compared to Jughead, nobody could have ever hoped to influence her as much as he had, without even trying. 

His lips were on her cheek, travelling down to her ear, nibbling slightly, and she felt herself relaxing into him, clutching him closer as he trailed down her neck. Betty let her hands do some wandering of their own, down his perfectly sculpted back, eventually- Jesus Christ!- cupping his perfect ass, squeezing slightly. He made a noise, somewhere between a groan and a moan, and it brought back some strange schoolgirl shyness that forced Betty to pull away. 

His lips were on her ear again and he whispered, ‘Don’t you dare stop, Betty Cooper. Touch me wherever you want.’ 

‘As long as you return the favour.’ Betty grinned against him, blushing at how much her life hand changed since she’d gone out on the fire escape, barely an hour ago. Jughead always roared into her life on a stolen motorbike, exactly when she needed him. 

He snapped her out of her reflection by nibbling slightly on her throat, and it felt so good she couldn’t help but tell him how good it felt and oh my god- 

He grasped her ass in his hands, lifting her up and walking them towards the bed. She half expected him to throw her on it and make love to her right there- she certainly wouldn’t have complained- but there was one piece of clothing she had overlooked, and Jughead would be damned if he was going to do the same. 

He set them on the edge of the bed, and his hands found the tie on her ponytail- a simple blue ribbon. His eyes asked a silent question and she nodded, biting her lip in amusement. He pulled the ribbon, and her hair fell around her shoulders in slight waves. He loosened her hair until it fell perfectly naturally around her face, the look of concentration on his made it seem as though he were mentally cataloguing every strand of her hair and how it felt against his fingers. Jughead was clearly enraptured at the sight of her with her hair down. 

Betty didn’t think she’d ever enraptured anyone before, let alone someone like Jughead Jones. She instinctively lowered her head, trying to hide behind her golden locks, but his fingertips found her chin and tilted her face up to his. He kissed her smoothly, pressing her down so that she was lying on her back. 

She looked up at him, watching him study every curve of her body until their eyes met, and neither could restrain a smile. 

.. .. .. .. 

Jughead’s breath hitched in his chest when he saw Betty smiling up at him, biting her lip like she’d just done something mischievous. He felt a flutter in his stomach at the thought that he’d ever tried to forget her, that he’d had a brief series of mindless rutting with someone else six months after leaving Riverdale... but that didn’t matter now. It wasn’t as if he’d been a pure virgin boy when he fell in love with Betty, anyway. If she asked, of course he’d tell her about Toni, and the other Serpents, and how deeply his life had changed after leaving Riverdale, but she certainly wasn’t asking now. 

At least Toni had told him when he was doing something wrong, gently schooling him in the difference between enthusiasm and actually pleasuring a woman, instructing him properly in the art of lovemaking... not that he’d ever made love to Toni, or anyone else. 

No, he may not have saved his virginity for anyone special, but he had reserved the right to make love, and now the time was finally right. 

He knew Betty was scared. He’d seen the hunger in her eyes as she drank in his nude form, and the way her eyes widened as she saw his cock... He understood how small she felt, but he knew they would fit perfectly together, especially if he prepared her the way Toni had taught him... 

‘Use that smartass tongue of yours the right way,’ She purred to him one night, ‘And you’ll have the ladies eating out of the palm of your hand.’ And she grinned as though she’d said something forbidden and secret, which he supposed she had, if the boy’s locker-room talk was anything to go by. 

And now Betty was going to find out just how good he’d gotten. Not that he was cocky (though, in ta sense, he definitely was), but he was certainly confident. 

And with that, Toni vanished from his thoughts- she'd been a great lay, a wonderful friend, and an amazing teacher, but that was all she’d ever be to him. Besides, she was shacked up with a rich woman now, back in Riverdale, if the postcards were anything to go by. 

Now, it was Betty he wanted to kiss. Betty whose body he craved like coffee, like ice cream on a hot summer’s day. Betty who was lying beneath him, open and ready for him and utterly innocent. She wanted him so badly he could almost taste it. 

Hmmm, tasting... 

He lowered his lips to hers and ground his hips against hers slightly, looking at her when she squeaked. A good noise or a bad noise? 

Definitely a good one, he thought, giving an experimental wiggle of his hips and hearing the squeak devolve into a moan, then a groan as her fingers tightened their grip in his hair. 

‘Good?’ He asked, voice husky with the desire he felt for her, flowing through his veins like the purest hit of heroin. 

‘Absolutely,’ She breathed, pulling him down for another kiss and clumsily rolling her hips against his. 

She broke the kiss to offer a shy smile, avoiding his gaze for a moment before murmuring, ‘I hope you thought to bring a condom with you. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of surprise.’ 

He nodded and rolled off of her to fish the condom out of his discarded jeans. 

‘I wasn’t expecting anything from you, but I did... hope.’ He blushed slightly as he explained to her. ‘I don’t want you to feel pressured at all, if you’re not totally sure-’ 

‘Come back her and kiss me, you dick.’ 

That was all he needed. 

He got back to work, exploring her body with everything at his disposal- lips and tongue and the occasional nip of his teeth, just to feel her buck beneath him. Her fingers landed in his hair, tugging a bit- he made a mental note to tell her just how much he enjoyed that, though he was sure his groans were giving some clues. At the moment, he had no desire to use his mouth for speech, not when there were so many other things to do with it. 

She let out a sort of shriek when his tongue found her clit, and his finger tested her opening. Oh, she was already so wet, so ready for him that this kind of preparation was almost unnecessary, but he wasn’t about to stop now, when he’d already worked her up so much. 

A few minutes later and she was shrieking, moaning his name as she came, fingers digging into his scalp as she lifted her hips and ground herself desperately against his mouth. His finger had found a sweet spot within her and he made sure to continue massaging it as she rode out her orgasm, prolonging it until her shrieks turned to mewls, pants, and the incredulous murmur of his name, feeding his erection. 

Thoughts of Nick St Clair touching her threatened to intrude on his mind, but he shut down those memories with a grim sort of pleasure. Betty had been saved from that Class-A sonofabitch, and that was all that mattered. 

Betty groaned his name and Jughead’s attention was immediately back on her, as it should be. 

‘Where did you learn to do that? She gasped, staring at him through wide, satisfied eyes. 

He smirked up at her before kissing slowly up her stomach until he they were face-to-face once more. 

‘They say study broadens the mind,’ He smiled slightly, knowing how evasive he sounded, but also knowing he wasn’t about to explain himself. Not right now, not when there were more pressing matters to attend to. Then he kissed her, wanting to see if she’d pull away, either at the thought of him learning such intimate things from someone else or at the salty sweet taste on his lips. Instead, she deepened the kiss. 

He tightened his hold on her hip, loving the way her body felt against his. He aligned himself with her centre, eager to give her more, to feel more himself, to feel her around him and watch his face as he made love to her... but this was her first time, and the moment was hers to decide. 

.. .. .. .. 

Betty couldn’t believe how different it felt, having Jughead’s fingers and mouth on her and bringing her to orgasm that way. It was a whole other world from the few times she’d managed to bring herself to climax. And then he’d kissed her, letting her taste herself on his lips. It was a wicked feeling, and she loved it. 

She hoped she wouldn’t ever have to go back to touching herself, hoped this meant something, that she and Jughead had a future together... She had to try hard to keep these thoughts from blurting out, and instead she’d asked him something even worse, where he’d learned to do those things with his tongue. She wasn’t stupid- she already knew. 

Did it hurt? Not as much as it would have a year ago. Besides, practically speaking, it was just as well that one of them knew what they were doing. Jughead definitely knew what he was doing, when he rubbed his cock against her most sensitive area the unspoken question clear in his eyes, along with a patience she hadn’t expected. After all this time, he was still waiting for her. Her permission, a nod, anything to tell him it was alright to go on and take the next step. 

She’d grown up being lectured that a girl’s virtue was the only priceless thing she’d ever own, and here she was, ready and willing to give it away to the first boy she ever loved... but did he love her? He’d never said so. What if this was all he wanted from her, some unfinished business... 

‘Betty, you know you’re thinking too loudly, right?’ Jughead’s gentle smile broke into her thoughts. She looked up into his eyes, noticing the depth of the blue and the dark grey flecks that surrounded his pupil. She bit her lip, no idea what to say. 

‘If you’re worried about me leaving you again, after, please don’t... I don’t ever want to leave you again, unless it’s what YOU want.’ He added, avoiding her eyes as if she could destroy him with a single word. 

She didn’t speak, only reached onto the nightstand, picking up the condom and placing it into his hand. 

She watched as he tore open the foil and rolled the rubber onto himself, making a mental note of how to do it, so she could do it later, at least once. Protection on, he nudged her once more so she was lying on her back, one of his hands carefully nudging her legs further apart. 

He looked questioningly in her eyes as he positioned himself once more. She gave a nod, and he felt him begin to enter her. He seemed a giant, especially now that they were touching so intimately. But she wasn’t scared anymore, not really. She just wanted to get this shitty part over with, to really enjoy herself with the man she loved. 

She felt his hesitation as he slid back out again, a question in his eyes as she hissed, waiting for her to give him a clue. All she wanted at this point was for him to get ON with it. 

‘I’m not made of glass, Jug.’ She groaned, squirming beneath him. She squeezed his hips tightly between her thighs, making him hiss at the fresh contact. ‘Please, for god’s sake, stop making me wait for you! Two years was long enough! Just... please. I’m ready.’ 

That finally seemed to be enough for Jughead, as he finally started pushing into her the way she wanted him to. It didn’t hurt as much as she’d expected, but by the time it did he was almost fully inside her. He stopped moving as soon as her fingers dug into his shoulders and she stiffened beneath him. She screwed her eyes shut and told her muscles to relax, which they did after a few moments of adjustment. She looked up at Jughead once more and nodded. 

Betty knew that a woman’s first time didn’t always include anything other than pain, but Jughead was clearly gifted in some divine way. His body moved against hers in a slow, easy rhythm that felt like the most natural thing in the world. When she hesitantly raised one leg and wrapped it around his waist, she was rewarded by a sudden increase in his speed, a new angle doing something delicious inside of her that encouraged her to lift the other leg as well. 

Their breathing became one, united by panting gasps, Jughead’s eyes wild as he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Then one of his hands tugged at her hair, and she felt an orgasm rippling through her, washing away her thoughts like a wave of purest pleasure. She clung to him, feeling like she barely inhabited her own body. 

She became dimly aware that Jughead was murmuring her name, his eyes clenched shut, the thrusting of his hips becoming faster, harder, more erratic, before he gave a guttural moan and his head arched back, his own orgasm shuddering through his body. 

When he opened his eyes and looked down at her, his expression was so tender, so loving that her heart felt as though it might burst. In that moment, she forgave him for it all, all the things she’d been blaming him for, that had ever hurt, it was washed away in the passion of that look. 

‘Are you alright?’ 

She nodded and smiled as he looked worried for a moment, as if something he’d done could have hurt her. 

‘I’m fucking perfect, Jug.’ She smirked. ‘And so are you.’ 

Jughead eased out of her, wincing as he pulled out of her and sat on the edge of the bed to dispose of the condom. Then he returned back to her, pulling her to him and her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as they cuddled, basking in the pleasure of the moment. 

She nearly fell asleep like that, but reality came back to her, all too soon. 

‘Jug?’ 

‘Hmmm?’ 

‘Where are you staying? Do you have a place?’ 

He tightened his arms around her. ‘Yeah. An old flat not too far away. On Sue Street?’ 

‘Oh! Veronica’s boyfriend- you remember Veronica, right?- Her new boyfriend just found a flat there.’ 

Jughead nodded and grinned. ‘I know. Apartment 2A, the Landlady’s name is Mary. Archie has the upstairs bedroom, I have the one on the main floor.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> God, I haven't been good at keeping promises lately. Haven't had the space to breathe for weeks, in between exams, health scares, and good old-fashioned drama. I swear, things have been so hectic my life is a non-stop episode of Riverdale! It's nice to find a quick commercial break to post this, though. I hope you guys enjoy. I'll post the final chapter next week, unless I win a book deal or find out my father is a serial killer, of course ;)
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and kind words. I appreciate you more than you know.


	13. Chapter 13

Jughead waited; it took Betty almost ten full seconds to process what he’d just told her, and when she did, she sat up and glared at him. 

‘Ronnie told me Archie’s roommate moved in a week ago!’ 

He nodded. 

‘So you’ve been back for a week and not said a word until now? You know Archie well enough to move in with him? Jughead, what the f-’ 

He silenced her by pulling her down on top of him and pressing his lips to hers. She melted into his arms for a moment, then remembered the anger and shoved his shoulders. 

‘Jughead Jones, why did you wait so long to come see me?’ 

‘I had to make sure you weren’t dating anyone.’ He replied. Nothing but honesty. That was Jughead’s policy; now that he was sure their relationship had begun anew. ‘I needed to see if you’d moved on, if your feelings had changed...’ 

‘And you couldn't just ask me?’ Anger morphed into hurt, and Betty tugged the sheets up to her neck as a sort of shield between her and Jughead, her eyes flashing in an odd sort of pain. ‘You decided it would be better to-to spy on me? Why?’ 

He sat up, resting a hand on her knee to test the waters. She didn’t push him away. Good. He made sure to look into her eyes as he explained, 

‘I wasn’t spying, Betty. Just making sure you missed me as much as I missed you. My dad’s sources aren’t always reliable, so I had to make sure for myself. When I saw you today, that’s when I knew for sure that it was time.' 

‘And how did you realise that?’ 

‘Observation. On Monday, I saw you running late for a lecture, with the last postcard I sent you sticking out of your handbag. It nearly went flying, but you stopped to grab it, put it deeper inside, and made sure the snap was secured before you rushed off again. And,’ He added quietly, ’You kissed it before you put it back.’ 

Betty blushed. ‘Maybe I just like the landscape of Toledo.’ She murmured, eliciting a laugh from Jughead. He pulled her close for a deep kiss. 

‘I think we both know it isn’t my mom's auto-shop you have a thing for... Just like we know you didn’t keep the postcard I sent just because it’s pretty. You missed me. Archie told me you were single- and no, I didn’t interrogate him, and Veronica has no idea we’re living together. I asked him not to tell her after I explained why I was so interested in his girlfriend’s best friend, that’s all.’ 

Betty’s mind whirled, trying to process all the insane information at once. 

‘And how did you know I’d be on the fire escape?’ 

Jughead smiled and shrugged, as if to himself. ‘I just planned to park the motorbike there. Seeing you, that was just... serendipity is the right word, I guess?’ 

‘Dumb luck.’ Betty shot back, unable to hold her grin back anymore. 

He faked a scowl that did no job of hiding the mirth in his eyes. ‘You know I don’t believe in luck, Betty. But coincidences happen all the time, and there’s nothing wrong with having a word meant specifically for good ones.’ 

Then he whispered in her ear, ‘However, I believe my word for a 'happy coincidence' will always be... Betty.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEEEEEEE! Last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me through all the ups and downs of writing this fic, you've all been so incredible and supportive. Thanks for nominating this fic for the Bughead fanfiction awards (you can take a look at the other nominees here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/6thbugheadfanfictionawards/works , they have amazing stuff!).
> 
> I'll be posting the epilogue right after this. No more waiting ;)


	14. Epilogue

New York, Five years later 

Many, many happy coincidences later, there was a quiet wedding. Though neither he nor Betty were particularly religious, they did want to be married and start the newest stage of their life together. (And how could he pass up the opportunity to see Betty in her best dress, or she to see him in a suit?)

The only attendees were their witnesses, Archie and Veronica, who had already tied the knot a few months before, in a grand ceremony her father paid for. The four of them stood together at the altar, the women holding bouquets of blue and pink flowers, wearing their nicest dresses, and Jughead and Archie in their rented suits. The priest read the vows. Betty and Jughead repeated the words back to him when the time came- Jughead firmly, Betty with a quiver to her voice as she fought back tears of happiness. 

Betty’s family had been invited, but her parents had declined, saying it was an embarrassment enough that the couple had been living together in sin, it was too long a journey, her father didn’t feel so well these days, excuse after excuse; until Betty had finally stopped asking. 

Jughead’s family had also been invited, and though they sent their blessings, they preferred to keep out of their elder son’s life as much as possible- he was doing quite well without them, they said, and didn’t need a bunch of rough bikers clogging up the wedding photos. 

They had sent a fair few wedding presents, more than enough for the young couple to furnish their small flat, even sending a few baby clothes that put the fear of god into Jughead when he’d found them on the dining table. 

When the brief ceremony was over and Jughead was invited to kiss his bride, the tenderness with which he did so brought tears to Veronica’s eyes. The bride and groom then bid their friends farewell, and headed back to their apartment to change into clothes more suitable for the long ride on Jughead’s (legally acquired) motorbike, as they headed off for their long weekend in a cabin on Long Island. 

At last, everything was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, my friends, it's over! Maybe I'll make a part 2, but for now I have another fic to start posting... (Bughead War AU with a baby-shaped twist, anybody?)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me. I hope you've all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Love, light, and peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Guys! Hope you enjoyed! It's a joy to write this, but I have a confession to make...
> 
> This is heavily based on/inspired by the Sherlock fanfiction 'Bad Boys' by MizJoely (Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1065023/chapters/2136443 ). Every year or so I find myself coming back to this one and reading it and being amazed at how much I'm drawn in by her amazing writing, so if you're into Sherlock as well, please check out her fics! She's written over 600 of them, so you have a lot of choices :). 
> 
> I really wanted to give this story in particular a Riverdale makeover, so I hope you guys enjoy that!


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